What Love Does to Two People
by sammy911cute
Summary: Follow the story of Ryan and Natalia, from tragic events to magical moments and everything in between.
1. Chapter 1

Ryan and Natalia (picks up after explosion in the meth lab)

~Natalia's POV~

"You can't stay in here! Just go!" I shouted to Ryan, feeling my back and chest being crushed.

"I'm not leaving you here!"

"Ryan, just go!" I knew that I wasn't going to get out alive. I didn't want Ryan to die too. He tried, using all the muscle he had to lift the wall, but he couldn't. I was stuck; the wall was too hard and heavy for one person to lift. And then H ran in.

"Don't worry miss; we're going to get you out." The two strained and put everything they had into lifting the wall. It finally, finally came off. Ryan dialed 911 from his cell phone, and H supported me to walk out of the burning house. I lived. Everything that I thought was impossible happened because of H. And Ryan.

I was hurt, but I didn't want to tell anybody. My head hurt, I was bleeding, and there were scratches all over my body. There would soon be bruises on my back from the wall that Ryan and Horatio lifted off of me.

"Natalia, are you okay?" Ryan asked from behind me, like I knew he would.

"Yes, I'm fine." Ryan had been working with me long enough to know when I was lying through my teeth.

"If you want to talk, just come find me, Nat." I nodded and smiled at him. He gave me a look over his shoulder, one of deep concern. I made a mental note to talk to him later.

Once the paramedics dismissed me, I argued with Calleigh just to get back on the case. I had to.

"Nat, it's not worth it. You need to rest before you come back to the lab."

"Look, I'll be fine. You guys need me anyway." Because Maxine Valera was on a vacation break, I was the only DNA analyst left, besides the night shift. Calleigh knew that she didn't have an argument.

"Just be careful out there, Nat." Happy that I got to work, I drove back to the lab and got to work on the DNA and trace found at the explosion scene. Just as I forgot about the injuries and trauma, Ryan snuck up behind me to "ask," about the evidence. I knew that he just wanted an excuse to talk with me.

"What did you get?"

"Well there wasn't any usable DNA left, but I did find traces of TNT there."

"So now we know exactly who we're looking for."

"Someone who know what they're doing and has access to meth and TNT."

"Thanks, Nat."

"No problem."

"Natalia! Your arm is bleeding!" I managed to hold in a swear as I looked at my blood stained lab coat.

"Come here, Nat." He helped me out of my lab coat and used it to put pressure on the wound.

"Is that from earlier?" I nodded, afraid of what he was going to say.

"Natalia, you said you weren't hurt."

"I know." I couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Please, go home for the day. You're scaring the hell out of everyone here," Ryan commanded more than asked.

"Why do people keep telling me that? I'm not hurt that badly; I can stay." Ryan gave me a look that said he didn't believe me.

"Nat, your arm just started bleeding in the middle of an investigation. You need to clean up."

"The day's over in an hour. Just give me until then."

"If that really makes you happy, fine. But on one condition."

"Which is?"

"You let me take you home tonight and watch out for you." The idea excited me in a strange way.

"If you insist." He laughed.

"You got it. I'll meet you here in an hour." I nodded and slowly smiled to myself.

~One hour later~

"You ready?" Ryan asked, opening the glass door. I had forgotten he was coming, and jumped when he spoke. He laughed at me.

"Yeah, let me get my stuff." As we were walking out, Calleigh smiled at me. A minute later, I checked my phone and saw a text from her. "You guys look just like Eric and I used to. (:" I smiled at the image and showed it to Ryan. He thought about it for a second and agreed. I let my mind wander as Ryan walked around the car to get into the driver's seat. Would Ryan and I end up like Calleigh and Eric?

I wouldn't particularly mind if we did.

~Ryan's POV~

The whole night with Nat. I don't know what sparked me to ask her about sleeping over, but I'm glad I did. When she showed me the text that Calleigh sent her, I wondered if she thought about the message as much as I did. If we looked just like the famous romantics in the lab, would we end up the same way as them, too? Married and parenting two kids? I wasn't sure how that life would be. I just wanted her.

"Ryan? Ryan!" I realized that she was trying to get my attention.

"Sorry, I was thinking about something." Or someone.

"It's okay. I was just going to say that you can sleep on the couch tonight."

"Sounds good." I had only been to her house once or twice before, and it was at a party. I'd never actually been there by myself.

"Your house is nice."

"Glad you like it. Want a drink?" She smiled a flirty little smile.

"Sure." She handed me a glass of red wine. "I love this kind."

"I know; you told me at the last party I had." That made sense. She knew me so well.

"Will you let me wrap your arm now please?" She promised that she would let me help her out tonight. She sighed. "If you must." I laughed at her resentment towards care and looked for some gauze in my kit.

"When did you become such a good Medical Examiner?"

"I used to run patrol, remember? We were trained for emergencies."  
>"I don't think that this would classify as an 'emergency.'" She made air quotes with her fingers.<p>

"I think this is….a very extreme case of injury." She laughed, causing me to accidentally hit the gash.

"Ouch," she instinctively said.

"I'm sorry, Nat. I didn't mean to."

"It's okay."

"Do you want some ice?" For some reason she found that funny.

"What?"

"Ryan, it's okay really. You're being too good to me."

"I care about you, Natalia. Why wouldn't I?"

"I don't know. It just makes me feel special. Thanks for everything that you've done." It made me almost speechless to know that Natalia and I shared the same feelings for each other. I couldn't recall the last time I felt that way about a woman.

"Anytime," I barely managed. She threw her arms around me. Nat looked up. There was no water in her eyes, yet she looked close to crying.

"What really happened, Natalia?"

"Ryan…when I was about seven years old my mom was killed." I listened. "The car she was in exploded when she was driving home." No wonder she was upset. "I remember watching everything go up in flames…and today…"

I put my finger to her lips. "You don't have to go on." She rested her head on my chest. "You're alive…..and that's all that matters."

~Natalia's POV~

I was embarrassed, yes, but it brought Ryan and I closer than ever. He was the only CSI I had ever told my story to, and he was so sympathetic. I felt bad, but now, lying in bed, I realized that it was completely worth it. The situation had almost completely worn me out, and I was asleep in 15 minutes at the maximum. Until something woke me up around 2:00 AM. Assuming that it was just Ryan, I closed my eyes and surrendered myself to sleep.

And then I felt arms wrap around me. Rapidly sitting up, I was forced back down by a pair of hands.

"RYAN!" I screamed out, hoping that he could hear me. If he was still alive. The attacker slammed his hand over my mouth, disabling me to make any noise and cutting off half of my air supply. I tried, tried so hard, to kick, but my legs were sore from the explosion. I realized that my ankles were tied together. Even if I wasn't bruised and burned from the bomb, I wouldn't have been able to defend myself. Ryan ran through the open door. He was smart, and kept quiet as he snuck up behind the two people trying to hurt me. Choking one of the men from the back, he kicked the other one off of me. Once the first guy was down, Ryan was all business with the other.

I eyed my gun on the table beside me, and holding up I said, "MDPD, you're under arrest for attempted murder." Ryan flipped the light switch and had the two men in handcuffs before they could fully recover. Once they were determined, "not dangerous," Ryan tended to me.

"Natalia, are you okay?" My feet were still bound together and my arm was gushing blood again. He acted fast, first untying my legs and then wiping my arm off with a towel. With my free hand I called Horatio, and then Calleigh and Eric. It only took H five minutes to get to my house. Good old H.

"Ms. Boa Vista, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Ryan came to my rescue." I flashed a smile at Ryan. After giving H all of the necessary information, the two assaulters were taken down to the police station. Just like that, it was back to being Ryan and I.

"What did they do to you?" Ryan asked, clearly concerned.

"They tied my legs together, and then I think they tried to pick me up and carry me somewhere. That's when I woke up. I tried screaming for you, but he shoved his hand down my mouth to keep me quiet. I know one of them had a gun, but the other one…. I don't know, I really don't," I tried to explain.

"Shh…it doesn't matter right now. Everything's going to be okay." I was so shaken up; I could barely keep myself still.

"Why me? Why now? Were those the guys who tried to blow us up today?"

"I don't know, Natalia. If so, we need to be extremely careful. Especially you."

"What makes you think they're targeting me? It could be you."

He lowered his voice to a whisper. "I don't know if anyone knew I was here tonight. If so, they got it from an inside source."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that the only people who could have arranged this is Calleigh and Eric, who I know wouldn't do that."

"So it is me."

"Maybe. We can't assume anything right now."

~Ryan's POV~

Her wrist was so swollen; it was bothering me that she wouldn't go to the hospital.

"I'll go in the morning, I promise."

"I'll take you." She looked right into my eyes. "Ryan," she whispered. I didn't know what to say. "You've done too much for me already," she broke the silence.

"No Nat, I'm not letting you go alone." She sat down on the bed and took a deep breath. I sat down next to her. I could tell by the way she was looking at me that there was something else missing from the story. She wanted to tell me—but couldn't.

"I'll listen, whatever you need to say."

"Ryan, I….."

"Are you okay?" I asked, seeing if that would help provoke the last words.

"No…I'm not." I saw the tears well up in her eyes, the ones that had almost fallen earlier.

"They…said that no matter how many times I escaped, they would always come back." I didn't realize how much these guys wanted Natalia dead.

"I won't let that happen to you. Stay with me and you'll be safe." She looked up and gently wrapped her arms around my shoulders. Being careful not to hurt her, I lifted her a couple inches off of the bed and onto my lap.

"Look at me." She did. "I promise with my life that you're going to live, and no one will ever be able to touch you." Natalia bit her lip as she tried to keep the barricade of tears from overflowing.

"Let it fall. Let everything go; it's okay to cry." The tears fell. She buried her face into my green t-shirt. I ran my fingers through her gorgeous brown hair as she cried. Stroking that back of her head and down her shoulders, I said, "Let it all out. You've been through way too much today." Natalia had always been one of the stronger team members. In all of the years that we had worked together, I had never seen her drop even the slightest hint of emotion. I had never imagined tears from her. But she needed me so badly. I had to ignore myself and focus on her.

"Ryan," she began, lifting her head off of my shirt.

"You don't have to talk."

"I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to apologize for. I'm here to help you when you need it." She wiped the water droplets from her eyes.

"Ryan, will you stay here with me tonight?" I must have looked confused, considering I was already sleeping over, and she sensed that.

"I mean here, in this room with me."

"As long as that makes you happy." She smiled. I slid into the bed next to her.

"Natalia, let me see your wrist." I noticed that there was an indentation on the swollen part.

"That's…that's a barrel of a gun." Judging by the look on her face, I assumed she hadn't known.

"Calleigh can probably identify the gun tomorrow." Only then did I look at the time and realize that it was 4:15 in the morning.

"She should be getting up soon. I'll text her in a bit," I volunteered. I saw the drowsiness in Nat, and reached over to turn off the lamp. Once I was back on the pillow, she instantaneously snuggled her body against mine. I smiled. Score. I tenderly rubbed the top of her arm to get her to calm down.

"Relax…" I felt her even breathing within a couple of short minutes. Finally, I let myself rest. Until my phone vibrating in my pocket woke me up. It was from Horatio.

"Tell Natalia to stay home today. You can stay with her."

I was looking forward to more time with Natalia, and I reached over to the nightstand to switch off the alarm. I took that time to text Calleigh and tell her about the gun imprint on Nat's her arm.

Natalia woke up at 9:30. Which is especially late for a CSI. When she sat up I awoke too, and her initial panic about the time was almost funny.

"H told us to take the day off." She relaxed.

"You're the best, Ryan."

"It wasn't me!"

"Well if it wasn't for you I wouldn't be here right now, would I?"

She had a point.

~Natalia's POV~

Waking up next to Ryan…was the best feeling that had come to me in a while. After the first time I woke up, I lied down and fell back asleep again. Ryan wasn't next to me like I expected him to be, but I saw him in the kitchen once I walked out.

"Sleep well?" he teased, and that was when I noticed that it was almost 11. Calleigh is coming over in 20 minutes or so to check out your arm. I flipped my wrist over to see the huge bruise and barrel mark.

"Ouch," he said, looking at it. I felt the same way. "Do you want anything to eat?" he changed the subject.

"No, I'm okay. You?"

"Nah, I'm fine from dinner last night." After grabbing a water bottle, I wandered over to the couch that Ryan and I were sitting on earlier. Much to my delight, he followed me.

"Honestly," I started. "What the hell is going on?"

"I wish I could tell you. Horatio offered police protection, and I said yes."

"I would have accepted anyway." The doorbell rang. Calleigh half-walked, half-ran inside, with Alexx right on her heels. They both went straight to me.

"Baby, what happened?" Alexx asked, looking shocked. Calleigh was interested in the pattern embellished into my left arm.

".38," she said immediately.

"Honey, you need to get yourself checked out," Alexx commented, repeating the plea Ryan had given me earlier.

"Ryan's taking me in a bit." They turned to look at him. While Calleigh took pictures of my arm, Alexx went over to talk to my protector. I didn't know what they were talking about, but then again I had no reason to care.

"How are you doing?" Calleigh asked gently, equipped with her little southern accent.

"I'm okay…just a little confused I guess."

"Why?"

"The attackers said that they were going to come back, and I have no idea why."

"You have police protection outside of your house. They'll keep you safe."

"I hope so."

"Baby, Ryan's going to take you to the hospital, and they're going to bandage your wrist." She turned to Ryan. "Make sure she follows the doctor's orders. It's nasty, but it will heal in time."

"Feel better, Natalia," Calleigh waved as she walked out of my front door. I didn't make a move to go and get dressed.

"You coming?" Ryan asked, trying to sound gentle and comforting. I gave him an A for effort. Sighing, I finally stood up.

"Take your time, Nat." I managed a smile and said, "Give me five minutes." I threw on a light purple tank top and jeans. It was casual, but I wasn't going anywhere dressy. Ryan was fully dressed by the time I came out.

"Let's go." We drove. It turns out that Alexx had already scheduled an appointment for me, so Ryan and I didn't have to wait.

"Do you want me to come back with you?" he whispered in my ear. I nodded silently. He was a part of this now. The doctor took some x-rays, and all through it Ryan looked nervous and uneasy. Even more so than I. We were surprised when Alexx herself came in, but then again it was Alexx. She loved us all too much not to.

"You broke it, baby. What color cast do you want?" I wasn't surprised. It hurt too much.

"Umm…"

"I'll give you purple." She knew it was my favorite color, so I didn't object. The cast was heavy and uncomfortable, but I had to live with it for the next three and a half weeks.

"I knew it was broken," Ryan said randomly as we walked.

"Did Alexx tell you?"

"How'd you know?"

"Lucky guess," I teased.

"If you must know, she told me back at your house." Ryan took me back home, and stayed with me faithfully all day long. By the time night fell, he was still there. Right by my side, like he promised.

"You didn't have to stay with me the whole day."

"But I have to stay at night?"

"Yes," I smiled.

"It's not a big deal, Nat. You needed me."

"I always will."

~Ryan's POV~

She was so beautiful and adorable, I could barely control myself. Natalia said that she would always need me, that I meant the world to her. No women had ever said something as simple as that, and make me feel so good about myself. Her tiny pajamas weren't making it go away either. A pair of perfect-length boy shorts and a black tank top made her look like the equivalent of a Victoria's Secret model. That was why I volunteered to sleep here.

"Hey," I said, trying to sound casual. "Are you feeling okay?"

"I need a Motrin." She started to get up, and I gently pushed her back down.

"I'll get it. What hurts? Your wrist?" She nodded. "I can imagine. Wait here." I went out into the kitchen to get the bottle for her. I remembered seeing her grab it from the cabinet on the far right side of her kitchen earlier today. I was about to turn around and go back to Nat, but then a bright orange sticky note on the cabinet door caught my eye. On it, it said "Ryan...3" I couldn't even move for a couple of seconds. Natalia…was sharing the same feelings for me. Everything that I had wanted was finally happening.

"Here's your Motrin." I handed the bottle to her. I desperately wanted to tell her about the note, but I couldn't make my dry mouth form the words. I realized that it was probably more practical to let life take us wherever it wanted to.

"Thanks….Hey Ryan? Can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"Why did you stay?"

"Because, Natalia. Because I care about you that much. Listen to me. If something happens to you when I'm not here, I feel responsible for it. I can't live that down. If you get hurt because of me, I'll feel guilty for the rest of my life. I can't let you leave me. I can't…" I trailed off. I realized how much I had been holding up inside of me. I also realized how much I had just told Nat.

"Ryan, I had no idea. But it means so much to me that you're here. That you care enough to help me out. To protect me. Nick would have never done-" I cut her off.

"Don't talk about him. He doesn't deserve you."

"I know Ryan. But it's hard to just forget someone like that."

"I understand. It takes time to heal."

"Thanks for caring, Ryan."

"I'd do anything for you."

"I need you in my life right now."

"I know you do. That's why I'm here." She brought her face closer to mine. "I'm here for you, too."

"Together we're strong. We are not going to get hurt." She took that as a cue to lie back on the bed. In doing so she took me with her. Just like the previous night, she rested her head on my chest. I turned off the light, seeing that she was tired. Lying there in the dark, I realized that Natalia had quickly become the main focus in my life. That without her, I was nothing. Softly and quickly, I placed a kiss on her head. I could tell that she felt it, but she didn't say anything. And I felt great about it.

~Natalia's POV~

I honestly thought I was dreaming. Until he did it again in the morning. Ryan kissed my head. Ryan, the one that I thought I would never be able to have.

We woke up early, unfortunately having to work again. He gently placed a kiss on my hair. Instantly I was pulled out of my fog of sleep. I turned around a smiled. "It works every time."

"Well that's good to know," he said laughing. That was when I noticed the blood smear on my wall.

"Ryan? Was that always there?" He came over to look.

"It's not yours, and it's not mine, so it might be one of the intruders."

"I don't remember either one of the two guys bleeding enough to cause a blood smear that size." He looked worried.

"Was there a third guy?" At that moment it all hit me. I became scared out of my mind. He sensed that, and said, "When we get back to the lab, the first thing that I want you to do is test the sample, okay?" I nodded. I could tell that Ryan was just as frightened by the whole situation as I was. But I couldn't let that get in the way of our work.

"Speaking of the lab, we better get going." We were running a little late, but at that moment I wasn't that worried about what time we clocked in.

Ryan was right; there was a third intruder. The DNA samples didn't match Evan or Diego, the two guys in our holding cells that attacked me.

It belonged to Maxwell Loden. He had quite a record, and the fact that he was still on the loose was making me anxious. I grabbed the print out and rushed to find Ryan. In the panic, I crashed into Eric.

"Eric, look I'm sorry, but I need to find Ryan." He grabbed my arm and made me stop.

"Natalia, what's going on?"

"Nothing, I just really need to find Ryan." Eric sighed and put his hands on his hips. He was mad that I wasn't telling him. But I guess he could see that I was upset, so all he said was, "He's in the interrogation room."

"Thanks Eric. I promise I'll explain later but right now I really need to go." Outside the glass walls, I waited impatiently for the interview to end. Ryan stole at glance at me through the window, and tried to hurry it up as much as he could. Once the officer had escorted the suspect out to the cells, he turned to me.

"Natalia, what'd you find?" He brought his voice down to a whisper to avoid unnecessary attention at the lab. Not that we weren't getting it already.

"There's another one out there. I'm scared, Ryan." I just flat out told him. No reason to hide it anymore.

"I know, I know. Listen, we're going to find Horatio and get the guy in here before he can do any more damage." Horatio dragged the guy in thirty minutes later.

"You want to tell me why your blood was found at Ms. Boa Vista's house?" H asked, putting his hands on the table. Normally there was only one, or maybe two CSI's in the interrogation, but this time the circumstances were a little different.

"I don't know," Max said, playing clueless.

"Look, your blood was on the wall. We know you were there. Why? WHY?" Ryan pressured, starting to get angry.

"I wasn't there!"

"Do these guys look familiar?" I asked, slipping pictures of Evan and Diego in front of him. I was planning to ask him that later in the questioning, but Ryan looked like he would explode if I didn't do something.

"Yeah, those are a couple of my pals."

"Well, since they broke into my house, I think it's safe to say that you were right there next to them." We weren't going down without a fight.

"Look, we were at a bar, and I may have gotten a little bit tipsy. I got cut on the way out to the parking lot." The story sounded like B.S to me, but I let him go on.

"It was bleeding, and they were trying to clean it up. But they were drunk too, and it got all over them. That's all I remember."

"Let me see," H demanded. The cut was definitely substantial enough to cause the smear on my wall.

"Don't leave town," H walked out of the room. After Mr. Loden had left, H walked over to Ryan and I.

"Ms. Boa Vista, I need you to stay somewhere else for the time being. Your house has become the primary crime scene." I knew exactly where I would be staying. "I suggest with Mr. Wolfe," H said with a smug look on his face.

"Sounds good," Ryan agreed, trying not to laugh. I smiled.

Ryan drove me back to my house after the day ended to grab a couple of my things. I really liked his place. And not just because Ryan was there.


	2. Chapter 2

~Ryan's POV~

It was just getting better and better by the day. Now Natalia had an excuse to stay with me, and neither one of us were objecting.

"Your place is better than mine."

"I doubt that."

"Well, I think it's perfect."

"It's good for one or two people. That's all I need."

"Ryan, do you believe Max's story? Because I think I do."

"Me too. But something's just not right."

"I know. I just can't figure it out though."

"They're definitely working for someone. Except no one's saying anything."

"There's no evidence pointing to anyone else, which means we've hit a dead end." I saw the look of defeat on her face.

"We have _not _hit a dead end, Nat. The team's looking over at your house for more leads. We both know how good they are."

"Why do they want me dead so badly?"

"I don't know. I can't imagine you doing something….bad enough to cause this," I struggled for the right words.

"I don't think I did! I'm so confused!"

"And you have a right to be. You're in good hands though," I comforted, tucking a piece of curly hair behind her ear.

"I'm scared…I know I keep saying that but there's no other way to describe it."

"Natalia…" I was at a loss for words.

"Ryan, I know you're trying. Even if this situation takes a turn for the worst, it means the world to me that you care."

"Of course I care. If I hadn't been with you that night, and something had happened to you, I wouldn't have been able to forgive myself."

"I can't go without you either." She fell back on the loveseat. We were both in our pajamas, and they way that her tank top revealed just a little sliver of stomach was driving me insane.

"We make a good pair," I granted.

"We have our moments."

The next morning Natalia was as grumpy as I had ever seen her. Apparently she had fallen asleep on her wrist, and it was throbbing almost unbearably. She calmed down, but only after I practically shoved the Motrin down her mouth. Until work.

Around 2:00 the elevator doors opened to four men dressed entirely in black, complete with ski masks.

"Everybody down! We need Natalia Boa Vista right now!" one of them shouted, pointing a military rifle at the officers. I shot a look at H, and he nodded. Eric, Calleigh, Horatio, and I slowly advanced.

"Put the gun down, and nobody will get hurt," H threatened.

"Give us Natalia!" Eric shot. Calleigh shot. I shot. H shot. All four men went down . And then I realized that Natalia was not among us.

"NATALIA!" the team shouted, running down hallways and corridors. I was almost positive she was inside the lab. There was no way the attackers could have pulled her out of the lab in the short amount of time. Unless they had taken her earlier.

~Natalia's POV~

I was scared. So scared. Ryan said that he would protect me, but I was really second-guessing him at the moment.

"Let go—," I started to scream, until one of the kidnappers kicked my broken wrist.

"Shut up! You're going to die and your little boyfriend can't save you this time." Boyfriend. Huh, had a nice ring to it.

"Yes he will!"

"Listen, we have four guys in the elevator distracting your pathetic excuse for a team. No one's even thinking about you. Sorry," he mocked an apology. It sounded like a plan. That was frightening all in itself.

"Now how do you want to die? Slow? Or fast? Because either one works just fine for me."

"I'm not going to die! There's no way you're going to get away with this!" I yelled, struggling against his strong arms.

"Shut the hell up!" He stuck a piece of duct tape over my mouth. I couldn't breathe. Oh god, I really was going to die. I kicked. I made noise. My hands were roped behind my mouth and my air was being cut off.

"Struggle all you want. It doesn't work when you know no one's listening." He smiled, but it was one of pure evil. I swore that once he was caught I was going to have Ryan or Eric beat the crap out of this guy. Or Ryan _and_ Eric. I struggled and fought back some more. Criminals knew that more noise meant more attention, which meant jail. He was becoming desperate and annoyed with me. He wanted my mouth shut. Being a CSI, I knew that was the worst route to go. He kicked me, the heavy metal toe of his boot slamming into my already bruised shin. I winced, but I kept the noise level high. And then, with one final effort, he forced the boot on my head.

And then I blacked out.

~Ryan's POV~

Every soul in the building was running down hallways, opening closets, doors, cabinets; anywhere you could store the poor girl. She wasn't in the DNA lab. Or the ballistics lab. Or any other lab we could possibly think of. No blood could be found, but that didn't necessarily mean anything. There were too many other ways to die. Natalia didn't deserve that. No one deserved that.

"Ryan, I found her lab coat! She's been here!" Eric informed, talking fast and looking as we talked. We were sprinting past the break room, the kitchen, and the lockers. Lockers.

"CHECK THE LOCKERS!" Police officers and canine units rushed in, looking for any trace of my girl. My girl. But there was nothing.

"Keep searching!" We WILL find her!" Horatio yelled, in panic like the rest of us. Our break room was full of places to hide. Cabinets, book shelves, and storage rooms made perfect cover-ups for a….I didn't dare say it. Murder.

"Look through here!" I opened the door of the storage room, switching on lights and tearing through boxes and bins. If we didn't get her out soon she would suffocate. There was no air access, and the heat inside of the concrete walls was unbearable.

"We don't have any time! Go!" Calleigh ordered.

"I'm going to go check the kitchen! Keep looking!" The kitchen looked normal. Everything was in place. I realized as I scanned the room that there was almost no way to hide an adult in here. The dishes were unbroken, the walls pristine. The only way to get a room looking this nice was to clean it, which the attacker wouldn't have had time to do. I saw a black rag sticking out of the corner of the freezer, but it looked just like a cleaning rag. It didn't matter. Natalia was still missing. I ran faster than I thought possible back to the break room. A black rag. I sprinted back to the freezer in record time.

The door was struck, probably glued. I had no choice but to keep pulling. It yanked open to reveal the scariest and most distressing sight I would ever encounter in my life. Natalia….her eyes bloodshot and her hands were covered with half-frozen duct tape. Her hands were tied behind her back, and her fingertips were the brightest shade of purple. I couldn't see her breathing. Her eyes were looking straight ahead, not responding to me. She was frozen to the sides of the freezer. I felt terrible yanking her like the way I did, but that was the only way that I could get her out. Natalia fell on top of me, unable to support her bitter cold weight. Scrambling to support her neck, I felt for a pulse. Nothing.

"Nat, stay with me! STAY WITH ME!" The magical beating came from underneath my fingertips. Small, weak, but it was there. But if she didn't warm up it would slip away from me again. Not my Natalia.

"I NEED A PARAMEDIC IN HERE NOW!" I yelled, hoping that someone, anyone could hear me. As fast and as rushed as I could, I took off my sports jacket and wrapped it around her shivering arms. I ripped the duct tape off. That small gasp of air she took was like music to my ears. She was alive.

"Natalia, we're here. I've got you, you're going to live." I huddled her head to my chest, rubbing her back to generate some type of heat.

Alexx rushed in, shrugging off her lab coat and throwing it over Natalia.

"Warm up sweetheart, warm up." The rest of the team followed her lead. The crucial 10 minutes were over. Her teeth were still chattering and she was still uncontrollably shivering, but I knew she would make it.

"Ry-y-an-n.."

"Shh, don't talk. You're still too cold." Natalia wrapped her trembling arms around my torso. Tears were streaming down her pretty face. She couldn't help it.

Once Natalia was able to stand, the team left me alone with my favorite girl.

"Ryan, he said that no one would come. You promised you would and you did."

"I know, I kept my promise." She wiped her eyes. The tears didn't stop, but she pressed her lips against mine anyway. I could taste her salty tears as they fell, but I thought they were sweet like candy. It might have just been me, but it was probably because I was kissing the one that I needed to have. Needed to be with. Needed to love.

~More Ryan's POV~

I put an alarm system in my house while Natalia was at the hospital. Since "protecting" her was going to be harder than I thought; it was in my best interest to scare away the potential attackers. I practiced using the alarm by setting it before I left to pick up Nat from the ER. I saw her lying asleep on the bed, looking peaceful and breathing easy. Gently, I stroked her forehead and watched her eyes flutter open.

"Hey," she smiled, looking so happy despite the tragedies that she had just been in the middle of.

"How do you feel?" I crouched down and got to eye level with her.

"Okay. My leg and my wrist hurt like hell, but other than that I'm doing great."

"Did you break it?" I asked, anxiously awaiting the answer. The doctor hadn't said anything about a broken leg.

"No, it's just bruised." She kicked the sheet off to reveal a completely purple bump on her left leg.

"Oh wow. Hey, I meant to tell you earlier. I put an alarm system in my house."

"I was hoping you would do that. "

"It just makes me feel a little better."

"I know. Ryan?"

"Yeah?"

"Kiss me." I had no idea where that had come from, but I did it anyway.  
>"Feel better now?"<p>

She laughed, the first one I had heard in days. "Yes, I think I do."

"Are you ready to go home?" I asked quietly.

"I'm afraid that if I go I'm just going to get hurt again. I can't take much more."

"I know. Natalia, I don't want to leave you. When you come back to my place, I'm going to have to go back to work while you rest. I'll spend the whole day worrying about you."

"Don't do that. Don't get yourself in trouble because of me."

"I'd get myself fired for you." She sat up, although I could see that it caused her pain. "No, just lay back," I tried to convince her.

"Wait." Slowly but surely, she swung her bruised legs over the side of the bed so she was completely facing me. Her sweet, soft lips just barely hung onto mine, giving me the perfect sensation of wanting her more and more. If it weren't for the fact that she was injured and nimble, I would have gone much further than I did.

Carefully, I slipped one hand underneath her back and the other right under her knees, only exhibiting enough force to lift her and set her lightly on the bed.

"Please rest."

"Ryan, I've been resting all of this time. Plus, you can't expect me to 'rest,' after that," she said, looking more alive and well than ever. I laughed.

"Do you want me to take you home then?"

"By home do you mean your place?"

"Yes, I do. It's not safe for you to be anywhere else."

"Well, than I think that sounds like a plan. Will you sign me out, please?"

"Of course I will."

"I'm going to get changed." Apparently Calleigh had brought her clothes from her house, so she changed into the jeans and the sweatshirt. Natalia walked slow and was a little shaky, but I didn't blame her after being shoved into a freezer.

Once we were in the car, she was a lot calmer and more free-flowing. Standing in my driveway, she pulled me in and laid a kiss on me. And then again once we were inside the front door. And then again in the kitchen. And so forth. I didn't know what had suddenly gotten into her, but I was certainly enjoying it. By the looks on her face, she was clearly having a pretty good time. And two is always better than one.

~Natalia's POV~

I couldn't wrap my mind around it. I didn't understand Ryan's sudden affection towards me. Then again, I wasn't exactly holding back either. Another thing that didn't make any sense at all was the people trying to kill me. They just never stopped. The fact that they would even capture me at work was proof that they would go to desperate measures to murder me. So far, Ryan had been doing a very adequate job of keeping me safe and sound, but you never know.

"You feel better yet?" Ryan asked, snapping me out of my spell. He reached over, and like he always did, tucked my annoying curly hair behind my ear.

"I think so. Better than before, anyway." I had so many layers on; Ryan was beginning to think I was insane. After being forced into a freezer that I barely fit into, I was extremely sensitive to cold. The only option was to bundle up with sweatshirts and blankets. In summer. In Miami.

"You've been through way too much."

"You think?" I snapped back with sarcasm.

"Whoa, sorry."

"No Ryan. Look, I'm just cranky right now. Don't take it personally," I apologized, making an effort to keep it simple with him.

"I won't. Do you need to sleep?"

"No, I just need to sit here and talk to someone." I looked at him.

"Okay, well I can do that."

"Any progress on the case?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Yes, actually. We got an address and evidence placing Max at the scene."

"So he was lying to us the entire time."

"Exactly."

"God, I was stupid to believe him."

"No you weren't. You were just going with your gut feeling. And sometimes that feeling's wrong. I bought his story, too."

"Yes, but—,"

"No 'buts',' Natalia. Don't blame yourself for things you can't control." He smiled.

"Is there anything you can't do?" Ryan had a confused look on his face.

"I mean every time I'm upset, every time I feel like crying, you're there. Making me feel better again."

"I try, I try," he joked.

I laughed, but then got to the point. "I'm serious, Ry. Really, why do you this?"

"How many times have I told you this?"

"I like hearing it."

"In that case, it's because I have a reason to. Do you think I would do this for Calleigh or Maxine? They're close friends of mine, but Calleigh has Eric! You're the one I live for, Nat. The reason that I come to work every day." I leaned in and kissed him.

"I'm glad you said that, because when I was the intern, I got myself up every morning and thought, 'Ryan hates me, but at least I get to see him'" He smirked.

"I think 'hate,' is a relatively strong word."

"That's what you say now. Time to hear it from the other side of the rainbow."

"Alright, whatever you say. I don't hate you now, no worries about that."

"Oh believe me; I'm not worrying at all." Even though I had the cast on my wrist, I still climbed on top of him and forced him to lie back on the couch.

"Natalia…" he started to say. I cut him off with my lips. He was lying flat on the couch, I was on top of him, playing with his tongue.

"Happy now?"

"I was happy before," he shrugged with a huge smile on his face. I giggled and kissed him again.

"Well, we should let that happy feeling last, shouldn't we?" I teased his lips one more time, and turned around.

"Natalia, you kill me. No pun intended."

"Just take it slow."

"Oh so that's how you want to play it?"

"Bring it, Wolfe."

~Ryan's POV~

_"Natalia, you kill me. No pun intended."_

_ "Just take it slow. You can have me in a little bit."_

_ "Oh, so that's how you want to play it?"_

_ "Bring it, Wolfe." _

I had absolutely no issue "bringing it." She was sexy, her laugh was contagious—now that I was with her, I couldn't understand why I didn't kiss her before.

"As much as I really want to continue this love fest, we have to work tomorrow my seductive friend," she said, breaking off from the passionate kiss.

"Screw work."

"Ryan...," she scolded.

"Okay, okay. One more time," I begged. She giggled and planted a last kiss on my still-tingling lips.

"Upstairs, now." She pointed at the staircase.

"I think I'll just sleep on the couch tonight…," I teased.

"After that, I don't think so." With her un-casted arm, she pulled my hand and led me up to my bedroom. Shutting the door behind her, she said, "You are sleeping with me."

"And how exactly do you mean that?"

"Ryan!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. We really do need to go to bed, though."

"You're right." She hit the light and dragged me into bed with her. I found it funny how she seemed to control me even though we were in my house. I pulled Natalia down on top of me and let her snuggle her small body into mine.

"Good night, babe."

"Night."

We were sleepy and tired in the morning, but after only one kiss we were wide awake and ready to work. At work, Eric pulled me into a very satisfying conversation.

"What's up with you and Nat?" he asked, handing me my coffee.

"Nothing. She's just staying at my place while we investigate the attack." He raised his eyebrows.

"Nothing at all?"

"Fine, Eric. You got me. We're having a little fling, I guess."

"The whole lab already knows, dude."

"Then why did you ask?"

"I just wanted to hear you admit it." I smiled and gave him a friendly punch.

"Well, I guess you could say that we're together."

"You've got a good one this time. Not to offend you, but that Erica chick isn't a competition for Nat."

"I realize that now. Eric, are you getting jealous of my Natalia?" I joked.

"She's a really nice person, but I've got Calleigh. She's my girl."

"I can tell." I lowered my voice. "When you first started getting together with Cal, did you ever get this feeling? Like this feeling that nothing else is important anymore?"

"You really have it bad for her don't you?"

"Just answer the question."

"Sorry, sorry. Now that I think about it, I did. Almost like you don't want to leave. And then she breaks it off with you and makes you wait for her."

"Exactly! She teases me so much and it drives me insane." I was ecstatic that the feeling I was having for Natalia was something good.

"Calleigh used to do that. Actually, she still does. Ryan, listen to me. Natalia's a really good girl. It doesn't matter to me if you're in a relationship with her, but don't hurt her."

"I don't plan to."

"Calleigh told me a lot of the stories and issues she's been through. She has a hard time trusting us men since her nasty divorce. If you do something…Natalia's never going to trust us again."

"I know dude, I know. She wants to take it slow, so…I guess that's what we're going to do."

"That's what I would do."

"Yeah. Hey, I got a case to work on, but I'll catch up with you later."

"Me too. Ryan, you and Nat are going to work out. You two have waited for this moment for a long time."

"Thanks, Eric."

"No problem."

By the time we got home I was so happy and jumpy about what Eric said, and Natalia could sense it."

"What are you so excited about?"

"Nothing, nothing."

"Okay..I guess." She seemed a little upset that I wouldn't tell her, but I certainly wasn't going to be the one to crack on this one. I didn't think it would go over so well with Nat if I told her about the conversation Eric and I had.

Changing the subject, I said, "I think we've almost got this guy."

"We have plenty of evidence to place him at the scene. Or rather, my house."

"Hey..it's alright," I touched her arm gently. "Since we know that all three of them, Evan, Diego, and Max were there, we definitely have them for attempted murder."

"We have Evan and Diego for assault on a police officer."

"In addition to the attempted murder."

"Wait a minute."

"What?" I was confused.

"Why was Max there if he wasn't trying to hurt me?"

"Maybe he was, but he tried to get out before I could get you."

"Well he had plenty of time before you came."

"That's a good point, actually. We'll ask him tomorrow."

-Flash Forward to Interrogation-

"What exactly were you doing in Ms. Boa Vista's house this past Tuesday?"Eric asked, putting his hands on his hips.

"Nothing! I told you, I wasn't there!"

"Look, we have proof, we have DNA evidence that places you at the scene. Now you better tell us or you're going away for even longer!" he yelled.

"Fine. My boss told Evan and Diego to grab her and take her away. He hired me to watch it all and collect details. The girl was looking nice and pretty as she slept, so they didn't bother taking any 'precautions,' when they grabbed her. He didn't tell us she was a police officer, let alone that her little boyfriend was protecting her," Max spat out, pointing to me.

"Who is he? Who are you working for?" I demanded.

"I don't rat people out. You're talking to the wrong guy." Eric and I absolutely hated these kinds of criminals.

"You realize that if you tell us, you lose up to fifteen extra years of jail time, along with the blame."

"However, if you don't tell us, we get to tack on plenty more prison time," Eric continued. Max's expression changed.

"I don't know his name, but I have an address. He said that he goes there every day at around 2:00. That's all he told me. The pay was good, the thrill was there, so no need to ask any questions."

"We're asking the questions now. Right the address on the paper," I threw the pad and pen at him.

"Easy, Wolfe," Eric murmured.

Natalia was waiting for us outside of the glass walls.

"What's going on?"

"What time is it?"

"1:30. Why? Ryan, tell me!"

"He doesn't know who he's working for, but he knows where to find him. Apparently the 'boss,' goes to the Mediterranean Bar every day at 2. We have half an hour to get there."

"Let me come."

"Nat, you're not allowed in the field. I can't let you go."

"Just once!"

"I really wish that I could, but if something happens while we're there, you can't run to escape." She sighed.

"Just tell me when you come back."

"You got it."

Calleigh and I headed out. Inside the bar, Calleigh pointed her gun and said, "Miami-Dade PD, everyone put your hands up now." A guy at the bar bolted. We followed him. Down the road, through alleys, and around corners. Until he fell. I came down on top of him, pinning him to the ground. Calleigh handcuffed the sprinter and personally escorted him to the patrol car. It turned out that he wasn't the 'boss,' but a close affiliate with him. We were so close. Yet so far.

~Natalia's POV~

Ryan and I had been dating for about 11 months. Our relationship was steady and moving fast. My cast was off, and my wrist had finally regained its original strength. Evan, Diego, and Max were all arrested and sentenced to jail time, along with many other close affiliates. Everything was just as I had imagined it.

"Happy early birthday." Ryan said, giving me a good morning kiss.

"Hey, babe." It was five in the morning, and I was groggy and tired. I didn't understand how he could be so perky.

"What's wrong with you?"

"I'm sleep-deprived. And by the way, you're not supposed to celebrate the day before your birthday. You're supposed to celebrate _on_ your birthday."

"Whatever you say. Coffee?"He asked, a sly smile forming on his face.

I laughed. "I'll get it." Although I didn't want to, I stood up and walked out to my kitchen. I could probably call it ours and get away with it; I was at his place so often that half of my stuff was here. I realized as I watched him make coffee, how lucky I was.

"What are you staring at?" Ryan asked, bringing me back to reality.

"Nothing, I was just thinking about you. Us."

"Is that a good thing?" He slid a mug of coffee in front of me.

"Yes, it most definitely is." He came over and kissed me. "My life is perfect."

"Mine's better than yours," I playfully challenged.

"Liar."

"What makes you say that?"

"Because, it can't get any better when you have a beautiful Puerto Rican to make out with anytime you want."

"It can't get better than a true American that you get to make out with whenever you want."

"Puerto Rico."

"American."

"Puerto Rico."

"American."

"Natalia! You win, fine."

"I win over you any day."

"You wish."

"There's no wishing involved. I WIN."

"Whatever you say," he said sarcastically, backing away with his hands up.

"You're on after work."

"Speaking of work, we have to go get dressed."

"Fine."

-Work-

"He really likes you, Nat." I was talking to Calleigh in the break room. I still had issues with the freezer, after being shoved into it. But I tried to get over it.

"I know. I think I like him too," I replied, obviously referring to Ryan.

"Looking at the two of you…"

"What?"

"It makes me think back to Eric and I. When we were still dating, before I got pregnant with Jayden."

"Do you remember that text you sent me?"

"The one about you looking like my fabulous husband and I?" she winked.

"Yes, that one. I remember showing it to Ryan, and he agreed to it. It has a weird value; like that's something we thrive on."

"I can understand. Speaking of the devil…" In walked Ryan and Eric.

"What's going on?" Eric asked, noticing how we stopped mid-conversation and turned to look at them.

"Nothing, just chatting," Calleigh said. They exchanged a loving glance. Eric came over and pulled Calleigh up for a kiss. Ryan came over and did the same to me. Both of us couples became embraced into each other, until a familiar voice broke the silence.

"What happened to my team?" Horatio asked, standing in the doorway. Everyone turned.

"I already have two married, and now I have two more right behind them!" We laughed.

"Don't worry, H. It won't affect our 'work ethic,'" Ryan said, quoting Stetler's famous words.

"I don't doubt you, Mr. Wolfe. Sorry to interrupt the occasion, but we've got a case to finish."

"You got it, boss."


	3. Chapter 3

-After work-

"Do you want to go to the beach?" Ryan asked randomly, as we were sitting at his house.

"Sure...why do you ask?"

"Why not? I've always wanted to snorkel."

"Me too!" I became excited.

"You never mentioned it before."

"You never asked. Come on!" I anxiously pulled his hand up the stairs, and we changed into our bathing suits. Me into a black bikini, him into his blue board shorts. It was a short walk to the beach from his house, and he took my hand on the way there. I loved how no matter what mood I was in, or how bad he felt himself, Ryan always found time to be affectionate towards me.

At the beach, he rented the snorkel gear while I set up the towels.

"Here's yours," he handed me a mask, the breathing tube, and the flippers. We waited until we were in the warm water until putting on the flippers. The two of us had gone to a locally known amazing snorkel site, with a coral reef just a few feet from the shore. I put the tube in my mouth, looked at him, and pulled his hand out with me. I found it cool how you could still breathe while swimming. We snorkeled among the colorful fish, darting around the unusually clear waters. Holding hands the entire time. I surfaced after a while, only to notice with despair that the sun would set soon. I pulled him up.

"If we don't go back we're going to get stuck." He pulled the tube out of his mouth to kiss me. His lips were soft and welcoming.

"Let's go, my gorgeous lady friend."

"You can't just end there!" I couldn't resist saying.

"Once we escape being stuck in the ocean after dark, I promise I'll continue."

"I'm holding you on that."

"You got it." We swam back to the sandy shore, watching as parents rounded up their little children.

"Let's take a walk," he suggested. Slipping on cover-ups and flip-flops, we headed down the boardwalk. The sun was setting, turning the sky many different brilliant colors. I'd always loved sunsets. I was about to tell Ryan that, only to notice that he looked a bit uneasy.

"Babe, what's wrong?" I asked, putting my hands on his shoulders.

"Nothing." I let him go after he kissed me again.

"You're amazing, Ryan."

"Natalia..after all of the years that I've know you, every day I can't help but think how lucky I am to have someone like you. To realize that I have what I've wanted my entire life. What everybody wants. You're the girl of my dreams. The one that I want to spend my life with, the one I want to be with forever. I love you, Natalia. So, will you marry me?" He was down on one knee, holding open the ring box. The scene had played out like a fairytale, on the beach, with the sunset, just like I had wanted it to.

"Yes, I'll marry you!" I jumped into his arms. I couldn't control myself.

"Thank god you said yes. I accidentally lost the receipt on the ring." He slipped the platinum ring, complete with a diamond setting and a heart-shaped diamond on the top, onto my finger. Half-laughing, half-crying, we kissed and hugged each other next to the setting sun.

"I love you, Ryan."

"I love you, too." He held me close, cradling my head into his chest. I realized why he was nervous, and why he wanted to go the beach so badly. It wasn't about the snorkeling. It was about proposing. To me.

"I can't wait to tell everybody tomorrow."

"Knock yourself out. I was going to tell them, but I figured that you would want them to find out from you."

Natalia's Ring

"Eric doesn't know?"

"Nope."

"Calleigh?"

"Nada."

"H?"

"Not a chance."

"Ryan! I don't know what to say. I can't imagine spending my life with anyone else but you."

"You're as good as it gets. That's why I'm in love with you."

"I can't believe it. I really can't."

"Never thought I would propose to you?"

"I honestly had no idea. No clue at all."

"Well, that's how it's supposed to be."

"Just like a fairytale."

~Natalia's POV~

"Eric? What are you doing here?" I was surprised to see him in the lab, since he left CSI and worked for the defense attorneys now. We hugged.

"Just visiting. It's my day off, so I thought I'd come see you guys. How've you been?"

"Well…I got engaged last night."

"Really? Congratulations!"

"Thanks! It was on the beach, the sun was setting..it was absolutely amazing."

"I bet. Funny, that's exactly what Calleigh said when I proposed to her."

"She said the same thing to me!" Ryan came up behind me, and looked just as surprised to see Eric.

"Hey, man!"

"Hey! Are you finally thinking about coming back to CSI?"

"Not yet. I was just visiting for the day because I'm off work."

"Good to see you again."

"You too. So what's up with you? Long time no see. Did Natalia tell you yet?"

Ryan just looked at him. "Who do you think bought that rock?"

Eric's looked confused for a second, and Ryan strung his arm around my shoulder. Then it clicked.

"You two? Really? I didn't know you guys were still dating!"

"It's been a while, Delko. Try to keep up with things." I winked at him.

"Man, you guys need to keep me up to speed. The last thing I heard about was when you were attacked." The memory briefly popped into my head, and I pushed it away before I really had a chance to think about it.

"Well, I'm happy for you guys! Surprised, but happy nonetheless."

"I thought you knew. Weird how things like that happen. Well, we've got to get back to work, but it was nice talking to you again," I said, remembering the lab papers in my hand.

"You too, Nat. And Ryan."

"See you later, Delko."

"Calleigh Calleigh Calleigh!" I yelled, running to catch up to her after Delko left.

"What's wrong?" she looked concerned.

"I'm engaged!"

"Ryan proposed?"

"Yes, last night! It was on the beach, at sunset, and he gave this really heartfelt speech about how much he loved me…it was picture-perfect."

"Natalia! I'm so happy for you!" Cal gave me a hug. "Let me see the ring!" I held up my left hand, beaming that there was finally a ring on it.

"Wow. It's really the bang for your buck."

"I know! He was so relieved that I said yes, because he lost the receipt for it."

"Ryan would."

"That's what I said. But the timing was perfect. I mean, we went snorkeling before-hand, and then we took a walk down the sand. We were on this little wooden bridge, and there was a perfect view of the sunset and the water. He started talking and then next thing I knew, he was down on one knee asking me to marry him."

"He didn't tell me or Eric!"

"Ryan said that he wanted me to tell you guys. I haven't seen anyone else yet, though."

"Catch up to them soon. Make sure you tell Horatio. He's been bugging Eric and I about it for a while now."

"About what?"

"H said that you and Ryan should get married about three months ago. He's trying to make Eric force Ryan to. Thank God he didn't."

"I'll tell him now!"

"Congrats! And Natalia?"

"Yeah?"

"Happy birthday." She winked. I forgot. I realized that Ryan had proposed to me the day before my birthday. He chose the best day. The weather was gorgeous, everything was just as I had dreamt about.

"Horatio? Can I talk to you?"

"Of course, ma'am."

"Ryan and I got engaged last night."

"Just like I had hoped, I see."

"Calleigh told me about your plot that you had going on."

"It looks like I don't have to put my plan into action."

"Did you really want Eric to do that?"

"It was set from the beginning. Don't tell Ryan that I said this, but he wanted to date you far before you knew. That was one of the first things he talked about when you arrived."

"Really?"

"You two were destined to each other. Just like Calleigh and Eric."

"That's nice to hear. Thanks, Horatio."

"My pleasure. All I ask," he put on his sunglasses. "Is that you let me know when the wedding is." I laughed. "You got it."

The entire work day was spent telling every living soul in the building about the fabulous new ring on my finger, the one that I couldn't stop looking at. After the day had ended, Ryan took me back to his house again.

"Since we're getting married, you should probably move the rest of your stuff over here. Not that there's much to move."

"Are you asking me to move in with you?"

"What else would I be asking?"

"I love you, Ryan."

"I love you, too." We kissed. I was moving in with my boyfriend. I mean fiancée. Life just couldn't get any better.

~Ryan's POV~

Everything went off without a hitch. I was getting married. Natalia was moving into my place. Our place now. I said "I love you," to someone for the first time, and really meant it. She returned the favor.

"When do you want to get married?" Natalia sprung the question on me right away.

"Oh god. You just got engaged yesterday and you're already becoming a bridezilla."

"Where'd you learn that term?"

"Eric." I winked. He had done his fair share of complaining when he and Calleigh were engaged.

"Can we get married soon?"

"Sure. Let's do a smaller wedding. Family, friends. Nothing too over the top, Natalia," I warned.

"I wanted a small one anyway." She stuck her tongue out at me.

"Let's not get nasty before we're even married." She giggled.

"I'll take Calleigh dress shopping with me."

"Oh, the one that I can't see before our wedding day."

"That would be the one. Let's get married on the beach!" she exclaimed, a little randomly.

"Right next to where I proposed."

"That's so romantic, Ryan."

"Well, I try," I joked.

"I love you so much."

"I love you."

"Forever and always."

"Of course I will. You'll be my baby, as long as I live." In one simple motion, I swooped her up off of the chair that she was sitting in and laid a soft kiss on her lips. She responded quickly, melting into my arms. It didn't matter that it was late at night. That we had to get up early in the morning for work. The only thing that I cared about, the only thing important enough to me, was my girl. My fiancée. The one to hold, touch, love, for the rest of my life.

"You are so beautiful, Natalia." I murmured through a kiss. She moaned, sending shivers through my body.

"I love you," she gasped, her breath shaky. I pressed her back on the bed, letting her small body rest underneath mine. I rolled over, so that she was on top of me. God, she was gorgeous. I could smell the flowery scent of her hair, and the sweet smell of her perfume. Those little things made me go crazy for her. I mentally congratulated myself for picking such a perfect woman to marry. Gently, I pushed the black strap of her tank top down her shoulders.

"Ryan.." she begged for more.

"Be patient. It's part of the fun." I teased her, inching down her shaking body as I caressed her lips with mine. The rest was too unbelievable to remark on.

~Natalia's POV~

"Where's Alexx?"

"She's always late," Calleigh remarked. I was pacing around my hotel room in New York, waiting for my second dress-shopping accompanist to arrive. Finally, the doorbell rang.

"You're late," I scolded Alexx, pulling her inside.

"Sorry, baby. My kids wouldn't let me off of the phone." I loved Alexx's little girl. She was best friends with Jayden, and they were the most adorable things ever.

"Let's go. I want to try them on!"

"You're excited," Calleigh said, stating the obvious.

"Why wouldn't I be? I'm getting married in two months!"

"Well, while we get to sit there and critique your dress choices, I'm excited for our bridesmaid's dresses," Cal proclaimed.

"Ooh, yeah. What color is it going to be?"Alexx asked, slipping into the taxi.

"Light purple."

"I love it! What did Ryan say?" Calleigh wondered aloud.

"He said it was fine, because it was my dress. But he also said that he wasn't wearing a purple tux for his life." My friends and co-workers laughed.

"Just give him a purple tie, and maybe a purple flower." I remembered going to Calleigh's wedding, and vaguely recalled Eric, with a touch of…blue? Pink?

"What was your color scheme, Cal?"

"At my wedding? Orange." Right, orange. It wasn't something I would have chosen, but the light tangerine color worked perfectly in their wedding.

"Alexx?"

"Baby blue."

"I wish I had been there. But I didn't even know you at the time you got married." Alexx wed her husband way before I became an intern at the Crime Lab.

"You would have loved it. If I must say so myself." We pulled up at Kleinfeld Bridal in Manhattan. My husband-to-be granted me special permission to knock myself out, while staying within relative limits, in New York.

"Welcome to Kleinfeld's. Do you have an appointment?"

"With Sarah." Apparently Sarah was right near us, and came over at the sound of her name.

"Are you Natalia?"

"Yes!"

"Come right this way." She had a bubbly, excited tone to her voice, and it made me even more anxious to try on a dress.

"So who have you brought with you today?"

"This is Calleigh, and this is Alexx. They're some of my closest friends and co-workers."

"Awesome! So is there any particular style, price, or color that you're looking for?"

"Not really. I just want to see where it takes us for now."

"Okay, well, I have some dresses picked out for you in the back, so if you can come with me…" Calleigh and Alexx sat down on the couch and waited for me. The first dress I tried on was gorgeous, a spaghetti-strapped, V-necked dress by Pnina Tornai.

Alexx gasped when I came out. "Baby, that's gorgeous!"

"Do you like it?"

"I love it!" Calleigh complimented.

"It's so pretty…," I granted. "But I just don't

know if it's really me. Do you know what I mean?"

"I think so," Alexx agreed. "Try on another

one, and see what you think." I went back and tried

on another. Once I did, I realized the feeling that

Alexx and Calleigh were talking about. The one where

you just know you have your dress.

"I really like this one," I said to my friends, as I stepped on the pedestal.

"Is that your dress?" Calleigh asked.

Natalia's Wedding Dress

"Honestly, I think so. I'm scared that I'm making the wrong choice though." I only said that to hear Alexx's opinion.

"I think it is. Ask yourself, Natalia. Do you love it?"

"I do. I really do."

"Baby, it's your dress," Alexx concluded, winning a smile from me.

"Will Ryan like it?"

"It's not about Ryan. You know he'll love you no matter what you

wear."

"I hope so. It's about him too, though."

"The wedding is about him. The dress, however, is about you,"

Calleigh said, with a sparkle in her eye.

"Okay, then. This is my dress." We continued on, buying the

headpiece and finishing the sizing. I was told to come back in three weeks to

pick up the final piece.

"Time for the two of you," I said, getting into the taxi.

"I'm so excited!" Alexx gushed. We arrived at The Dessy Group, and

as soon as we walked in I could see that we were definitely going to find the dresses. We stopped at the section with all of the light purple dresses. Each of them tried on a couple of different ones, until I saw the one that I really wanted. It looked perfect on Alexx, now I had to see what it looked like on Calleigh. "Go try that one on, Cal." She happily obliged. As she stepped out, I could see that the dress that we had come upon was the ideal bridesmaids' gown.

"That's definitely your dress, girls."

"Good choice. I was hoping you would say that," Calleigh responded, modeling in front of the mirror.

"I love it. Your wedding is going to be amazing," Alexx said.

"I can't believe it."

"Pre-wedding shock," Alexx said, laughing.

"I love Ryan so much. Is it normal to want to marry someone this badly?"

"Believe me, it is. I love my hubby," Calleigh said.

"I love my husband," Alexx added.

"I love my soon-to-be husband," I pitched in.

"Have you found your dress?" the salesperson interrupted, coming over

without us noticing.

"This is it!"Calleigh said happily.

"Great! I'll take your sizes and you can pick it up in around three weeks."

We returned to our hotel, spending the last night there in separate hotel rooms.

I called Ryan once I was settled on the surprisingly comfortable bed.

"Hey baby," he picked up on the second ring.

"I got my dress, and Calleigh and Alexx got theirs."

"So I can see it now?"

"No babe! You know you can't see it until our wedding day."

"I'm just kidding. So exactly what am I wearing?"

"You still have to rent your tux. Just do something that has a light purple, lavender color. That's what their dresses look like."

"Okay. Frank and Eric are my best men, since H is busy walking you down the aisle." My dad was also walking me down the aisle, but I thought it was a good idea to have Horatio in my wedding. He had been a big part of my life. Especially when my relationship with Nick had fallen through.

"Great! I'm so excited, Ryan. I don't even know how to explain it."

"You don't have to explain. I can tell by the way you act, don't worry." He made me laugh.

"I love you so much."

"I love you too, sweetheart."

"By the way, we all have to come back in about three weeks for the final fitting and to pick the dresses up."

"Great more plane fare."

"Ryan!"

"Okay, just kidding."

"Very funny. I'll see you tomorrow at the airport."

"Love you babe."

"Love you too. Bye."

By the end of the night, I had concluded. My soon-to-be husband was the best husband any woman could ask for. Even me.


	4. Chapter 4

~Ryan's POV~

I stood in the airport with Eric and Dan, Alexx's husband, waiting for my fiancée. I didn't even want to think about how much money they had spent in New York, but I didn't want to bug her about it.

"What is taking them so long?" Eric asked, getting impatient.

"Just relax, man. Why, do you have somewhere to go?" Dan said, getting a laugh from me.

"Not really, but the kids are at home with my Mom."

"They'll be fine." I caught sight of Calleigh, Alexx, and Natalia in the airport, chatting and laughing with each other.

"Here come our ladies," Dan stated the obvious. She greeted me with a kiss.

"How was your flight?" I asked.

"Long. Boring. It kept getting delayed because it's snowing!"

"Yeah, it took forever to get there," Calleigh remarked.

"Come on, let's walk." Natalia and I trailed behind the others, until we eventually lost them in the parking lot. Once we were relatively alone, my bride-to-be jumped into my arms. I barely caught her before she fell.

"I missed you, babe," she said planting a kiss on my lips.

"I missed you, too. The house was so lonely without you." She touched my lips with hers again.

"I love you so much. I can't wait to marry you in my fabulous, new, amazing dress."

"Oh boy." She smiled.

"Hey, I have a surprise for you at home," I mentioned.

"What is it?"Nat became excited all over again.

"I'm not telling you. It was supposed to be for your birthday, but I couldn't get it in time."

"You have to tell me. Please?"

"Just wait, it's only ten minutes until we get home."

"Please?"

"No."  
>"Please?"<p>

"No." And so we continued, arguing and rambling with each other, until we did finally pull up to our place. She shut the front door and said, "Now can I please see it?"

"Actually I was lying you can't have it until next week. I really don't have it."

"RYAN!"

"It's funny when you get mad."

"I can't believe I'm marrying you."

"I love you too, sweetheart." Natalia shut up for a while, but every so often she would pester me about the "surprise." I walked into our bedroom to find Natalia curled up with her iPhone.

"What are you up to?"

"Texting Calleigh."

"About what?"

"Horatio's one-liners."

"I love those! And his whole sunglasses thing."

"It's classic. Did you know Eric picked those out for him? Way back when he was still a tow-truck driver?"

"Really? He never mentioned it before."

"And Calleigh was an assistant."

"They bonded together and therefore presenting, the CSI team, Miami style."

"Interesting way to put it."

"The right way to put it."

"I love my life right now."

"What more could you want?"

"Nothing. That's the point."

I laughed. "I love you."

"I love you even more."

~Natalia's POV~

I was in the middle of a texting conversation when I felt Ryan sneak up behind me and cover my eyes.

"Ready for your surprise?"

"I thought you said it wasn't coming until next week? You lied didn't you?"

"Desperate times call for desperate measures. You wouldn't shut up otherwise."

"Well show me!"

"One, two, three." I felt something land in my lap, and start squirming around. I opened my eyes to see an adorable, white, tiny puppy in front of me.

"Ryan! This is perfect!"

"Eric told me that you said you wanted a dog. So, I thought that you would like it for your birthday."

"Of course I would! What kind of dog is it?" I asked, laughing as the puppy tried to chew on my finger, tripping over its miniscule paws as it did so.

"A Westie. His name is Benny, but you can change it if you want."

"No, I like it. I can't believe you got me a dog. Did you buy all of the stuff it needs?"

"It's all downstairs."

Natalia and Ryan's new dog(:

"This is….the best thing ever. I can't even tell you how just…perfect my life is right now. I have you, now I have a dog, anything and everything that I've ever wanted."

"I have the perfect woman to love, and a little cuddly furball to play with."

"He's so cute."

"I thought you would like it."

"Come here puppy," I cooed, planting a kiss on his furry face.

"My girlfriend is cheating on me with a dog."

"Yep, a dog."

"Out of all the other men in this world, she cheats on me with a tiny

animal that she just met a couple of minutes ago. I'm honored."

"You should. I'm two-timing you." I sat down next to her on the bed that

that we now shared. Putting my arm around her, I embraced her by saying "I love

you," repeatedly.

"Is there anything you can't do?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"First you propose to me on a beach, and then you buy me a dog for my 28th birthday, which isn't even that special."

"That's funny, because yesterday I was thinking the same thing about you."

"Why me? What have I done that can ever compare to you?"

"You bring yourself down too much, Natalia."

"I am hard on myself sometimes. But seriously, what have I done?"

"How about open yourself up to me? I don't want to bring up any bad memories, but after your divorce, you were really uneasy around men for a while. That's why it's so important to me that you talk to me. That's why I want to marry you."

"Nick was a disaster. Everyone hates him now, and I can't believe what I got myself into. I was too young."

"But you learned from that. You get it now."

"I do. I really think I do."

"Your father even thinks you're making the right decision this time around."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I asked him for your hand in marriage."

-_Flashback-_

_ It was late, and Natalia's father and I were walking down the beachfront sidewalk in front of his house. It was a familial celebration I had been invited into, the celebration of her father's 53__rd__ birthday._

_ "You are a good choice for my daughter, Ryan. I'm glad to see that she learned her lesson."_

_ "Speaking of that, I have a question to ask you." I was getting really nervous by this point._

_ "Yes?"_

_ "I would like to ask you for your daughter's hand in marriage."_

_ "Why, yes, of course! That other bast-, I mean man, didn't even bother. He whisked her away and they "eloped," somewhere."_

_ "Thank you so much."_

_ "You're welcome. She deserves someone like you, my boy. Someone who will take good care of her."_

_ "I definitely plan to, sir."_

_ "The only thing that I ask, is that you don't hurt her. Don't devastate her like the other one did. She never really healed from that. At least until you came along. I've noticed a change in her. Whatever you're doing, continue doing it."_

_ "I won't hurt her, I promise."_

_ "Good. When are you going to propose?"_

_ "Her birthday's in about a week, so I'll probably do it the night before."_

_ "Take her to the beach. At sunset. She always loved it there when she was younger. I remember when she was about sixteen, and we used to take walks on the sand almost every day." I just nodded. This seemed like a fairly sentimental story._

_ "Take her to that little bridge, right across from the cabanas. That was the best spot to take pictures. I reckon that it still is."_

_ "I know exactly where you're talking about."_

_ "Good. I know my little daffodil will say yes. There's no doubt in my mind." We turned around and headed back towards the house._

_ "Do you have the ring yet?"_

_ "I have it with me. I thought it would be good luck."_

_ "Can I see it?" I pulled it out of my pocket and smiled. In a couple days, hopefully it would be one Natalia's finger._

_ "She'll love it. It suits her like no other. Even when she was a little girl, she was always much more attracted to silver than gold. You know her well."_

_ "I just thought it would be something she would want."_

_ "It is. You've passed my test. You've passed my test."_

"You asked my Dad? What did he say?"

"He was all for it. He told me to take you to the bridge. Something about it being an important part of your childhood."

"Oh my God," was all she could say.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"No, not at all. That's just really sweet to ask my father like that. Nick..he didn't even care. He didn't even want me to tell my family."

"Don't talk about him, Nat. You don't deserve to beat yourself up like I know you are inside."

"I don't want to, but I can't help it. I love you so much, Ryan, but every time he pops up in my mind I forget what it feels like to be loved. That's why I can't stand the thought of losing you. You're the only way I keep myself from going insane."

"I love you so much." I wrapped my arms around her and gave her a hug. God knows she needed it.

"I love you." I thought she was going to cry, but she kept herself strong. That was the Natalia I knew. The Natalia I first saw. The Natalia I loved.

~Natalia's POV~

"Have you even thought about our honeymoon yet?" I asked, realizing the important piece of information I had completely forgotten.

"I know where I want to go. You'll like it."

"Care to tell me where?"

"No, not really."

"The only reason I'm letting you get away with this is because I planned the rest of the wedding."

"Don't worry; I'll take you somewhere you'll actually enjoy."

"You better. How long are we going for?"

"Two weeks."

"Two weeks? Did you run that by H?"

"He knows where we're going. I made him promise not to tell you."

"Oh great," I said sarcastically.

"Just pack for the beach. That's all I'm saying."

"Please tell me you booked it already. We're getting married tomorrow."

"Quite a while ago, actually."

"Good. Who's taking care of Benny?" I asked, petting the little puppy as he trotted into our bedroom.

"I have to drop him off at Cal and Eric's place. They said the kids would watch him."

"I'm sure they will. They're all coming to the rehearsal dinner, right?" Calleigh was my Maid of Honor, Eric was Ryan's best man, Jayden was a flower girl, and Landon was the ring bearer. Alexx was another bridesmaid, and her daughter was a flower girl right alongside of Jayden. Horatio was on my left side and my father on my right, accompanying me as I floated down the aisle.

"As far as I know, everyone's set to be there."

"I can't wait to marry you tomorrow."

"Me either. Come on, we're going to be late," he pulled me up from where I was lying. It was the short break that we had in between the final wedding rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner, and I was grateful for it. I knew right away that I would be exhausted after all of this, along with the wedding tomorrow.

At dinner, it was an enlightened and entertaining atmosphere between everybody. The kids were playing with each other, and the adults were talking, drinking champagne, and just having a lot of fun. Around 11, we all took a limo to the hotel. Ryan and I realized that it was easier to put everybody in the same place then to meet somewhere tomorrow morning. The families retreated to their rooms, but Ryan and I lingered in the hallway.

"This is the last time I'll see you before you become Mrs. Natalia Wolfe."

"This is my last night as Natalia Boa Vista."

"Don't worry. You can always change it back if you don't like it," he teased.

"Not a chance. I don't want to leave you, babe."

"It's only one night."

"And the rest of the day tomorrow. Calleigh's my wake up call."

"What time?"

"6:30."

"Damn..I'm not getting up until 8:00."

"That's because it's a lot less complicated for you to get ready then me."

"Meaning?"

"Well, I have to get my hair, makeup, dress, and I have to get everyone else ready too. And then after we get married, there's the reception, and then finally the honeymoon."

"Which you still don't know about."

"Can you tell me something? Please? Help me calm my nerves."

"Okay…the first week is more fun, and the second is a little more romantic. A little more of you and me. And by the way, don't be nervous. You're much prettier when you're calm." He held my face in his hands and kissed me.

"I love you, baby."

"I love you, too." I stepped back into my room, but I was sad to be separated from him. It was the first time in almost two years that I had slept alone.

My phone started ringing at 6:30, just like Calleigh had promised. She knocked on my door a couple seconds later. Alexx was with her. I honestly had no idea how she had gotten Alexx up. She was more of a stay up late and sleep in kind of person.

"You have to wake up. It's your last few moments of being single," Alexx crouched down next to me.

"I threw up a couple times last night."

"Oh, you did?"

"Nerves."

"You're going to look beautiful, I'm sure," Calleigh comforted. "Now let's go get breakfast downstairs. We have to eat before the big day." My two bridesmaids were already in their jeans and button down shirts, but I was comfortable in my pajamas.

"Do we have to?"

"It's your wedding day. You have to get up." Throwing the covers off, a little cranky, I changed into my clothes. The hair-stylist had stressed that we had to wear button-down shirts, otherwise it would mess up our hair when we tried to change.

Natalia's Wedding Hair-style

I ate a couple of pieces of fruit, but for the most part I was too worked up to eat much. My friends complained and nagged me about it, but for the first time in a while I didn't give in. It was around eight thirty by the time we finally left the hotel to get our hair done. I had my headpiece, and Alexx and Calleigh had the flowers for their hair. The three stylists that we

had instantly got to work, curling, straightening, doing whatever they needed

to do to get our hair perfect. It took hours, but in the end I loved how it

came out. Tons of hairspray went into it, but I didn't want to think about that.

Focus on the look. Then came makeup. Heavy eyeliner, mascara, and

eye shadow completed the bridal look. I thought Calleigh and Alexx looked

absolutely amazing, but I didn't think I looked that bad myself.

Their hair was pulled up, with a couple of loose curls framing their

face. Little purple flowers lined the top of their up-dos, tying in with the

light purple wedding theme perfectly.

"To the Ritz?" My wedding was being held at the Ritz-Carlton

Resort in Coconut Grove, Miami. It was outside, gorgeous, and I

couldn't have asked for a better location. Or a better day. The sun was

shining perfectly, and the sky was cloudless. The ideal conditions for

the ideal wedding.

Sitting in the limo, just the three of us, was one of those girl

only moments that we thrived on. All of us loved our husbands,

(or soon-to-be husbands) but spending quality time with your girlfriends was rewarding.

"These dress are so amazing, Nat," Alexx told me, slipping into the purple silk gown.

"Your turn!" My two friends had to help me into my wedding dress, and I had to say I thought I looked amazing in it.

"No wonder Ryan wanted to marry you." Calleigh took a step back.

"Photo time!" Our wedding photographer appeared out of the crowd of people bustling around.

"Stand together!" I was in the middle, and Calleigh and Alexx stood on either side of me. We smiled for a pre-wedding photo, and I prayed that they would turn out. After all of the preparation I had gone through, one would hope that the photos were reasonable looking.

"That reminds me." I handed Calleigh and Alexx each a little purple bag. "These are my wedding gifts to you." Inside was a silver necklace, with a small dangling diamond on each one.

"They're beautiful! Can we wear them?"

"Yeah, go ahead." They each gave me a somewhat sentimental hug, as much as they could without messing up our hair.

"Natalia?" I heard a voice from behind me. "It's Ryan." One of the planners handed me a walkie-talkie, what the coordinators were using to communicate with each other.

"Hey, Ryan."

"I don't have much time, but I just wanted to tell you something before you walk down that aisle." Calleigh and Alexx crowded around me.

"Since this is the last time I'll talk to you before you become a married woman, I want to say that I'm so in love with you, and you're the one that I want to spend all of my life beside." I felt the tears well up. I couldn't cry. Not yet.

"I know you're nervous, and so am I, but just remember what's going to happen after this. Marrying you is a dream come true, Natalia."

"You're making me cry!"

"Don't cry yet. Listen, I have to give the planner back her walkie-talkie, but just remember I love you. I can't wait to see you walk down that aisle."

"I love you, too."

"You can't cry before you get married!" Alexx said, dabbing a tissue under my eye.

"He's so sweet."

"You picked the right guy. This is the one."

"Are you ready?" My father and Horatio came up from behind us, making me jump slightly. I had to admit, I was surprised to see how well they cleaned up. H looked quite dapper in a tux. I nodded. "I think I am. I think I am."

~Ryan's POV~

If there wasn't a cool ocean breeze blowing through the air outside, I would have been sweating buckets. I was standing up next to the altar, watching the bridal party walk down the crisp white aisle. Which stood out perfectly against the green grass in the field of the Ritz-Carlton. We were going to get married on the beach, but decided against it eventually. It was less expensive to do it at a resort. Calleigh and Eric passed. Alexx and Dan. The flower girls and the ring bearer. Finally, the music changed. I was barely keeping myself still. The grand doors opened, and Natalia stood in between her father and Horatio. I thought she was the most beautiful woman when she dressed normally, but the wedding just defied all of the odds. The dress, the hair, the makeup, I knew that it would take a while until my voice came back. I took her hand and walked up to the altar, and then we turned to face each other.

"Ryan and Natalia, we are here to remember and rejoice with you and to recount with one another that it is love that guides us on our path, and to celebrate as you begin this journey together. It is in this spirit that you have come here today to exchange these vows. If you then, Ryan and Natalia, have freely chosen each other, in token of this and your love, will you please join your hands together. Ryan, will you repeat after me: I, Ryan."

"I, Ryan."

"Take you, Natalia,"

"Take you, Natalia"

"To be my wedded wife,"

"To be my wedded wife,"

"To have and to hold from this day forward,"

"To have and to hold from this day forward."

"To love, comfort, and honor,"

"To love, comfort, and honor,"

"For better or for worse,"

"For better or for worse,"

"For richer or for poorer,"

"For richer or for poorer,

"In sickness and in health,"

"In sickness and in health,"

"To laugh with you in joy,"

"To laugh with you in joy,"

"To grieve with you in sorrow,"

"To grieve with you in sorrow,"

"To grow with you in love,"

"To grow with you in love,"

"For as long as we both shall live."

"For as long as we both shall live." (Natalia repeats the same thing.)

"Traditionally, the marking of the passage to the status of husband and wife is marked by the exchange of rings. May these rings which you give and receive this day be a symbol of true faith in each other, and always remind each of you of the love you share on this day."

"I give you this ring to wear as a symbol of our love for each other," I said, sliding the wedding band on her finger.

"I give you this ring to wear as a symbol of our love for each other," she said, sliding the wedding band on _my_ finger.

"Ryan, do you promise to do this now and forever more?"

"I do."

"Natalia, do you promise to do this now and forever more?"

"I do."

"I know pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride." She leaned in towards me, and I touched my lips to hers. When we parted I could see that she was absolutely glowing. So happy to finally be married. We turned to the crowd, smiling as we walked down the aisle hand in hand. The two of us, now Mr. and Mrs. Wolfe, stepped into the actual resort for the reception.

"I love you so much," she smiled and kissed me. I had never felt like that before. The thrill or marrying Natalia was something completely unknown to me. Before today. Our break that we got in between wedding and reception was nearly over; and pretty soon we would make our grand entrance as a married couple.

"You ready?" I asked.

"Of course."


	5. Chapter 5

~Natalia's POV~

"We would like to welcome the newlyweds to the dance floor!" Ryan took my hand and we stepped into the middle of crowd. He was taller than I was, and I had to tilt my head upwards to look into his eyes. The song that we had selected, From This Moment On, by the O'Neill Brothers, began to echo through the ballroom. Ryan and I swayed back and forth, our fingers entwined.

"Hey, Ryan?" I whispered.

"Yeah?"

"Remember how I said that when you asked me to marry you was the best day of my life?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Well I lied. This day, this moment, is the best thing that's ever happened to me."

I recognized the end of the song, and for some reason I felt tears form in my eyes. It was the second time I had cried today. I knew Ryan saw them too. The song faded away, and the applause started.

"I love you, baby," he leaned down to kiss me gently. I saw his eyes glisten, and I knew he was crying, too.

"Don't cry, please!" If he didn't stop soon I would break down.

"Sorry, babe. I saw you out there…and I just lost it."

"Only you would do that for me."

"It's part of getting married. It's all worth the ride."

"Now for the father-daughter and mother-son dances!" We parted ways for a couple minutes, to dance with our parents. After that, everybody was welcomed on to the dance floor.

~Eric's POV~

It was rare for me to share an intimate moment with Calleigh. My kids were everything to me, but it was amazing to have some time alone with my wife. Natalia and Ryan were crying during their first dance, and it brought back memories of our wedding. I danced with my wife once we were invited out. Not a problem.

"Do you want some champagne?" I whispered quietly in her ear.

"No, not really."

"Why? It's their wedding, you have to drink some."

"I don't want any."

"Cal?"

"Eric, I think I might be pregnant again. I don't know for sure, but it's possible."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, really. I just don't want to drink. Just in case."

"What makes you think that you are?" I had to remember to keep waltzing to avoid attention.

"I was queasy the past few days. And I'm….late."

"We'll go to the doctor tomorrow, I promise."

"Thank you." She sighed, sighed with relief.

"It's going to be fine." I wanted to run my fingers through her hair; I knew it comforted her. But I couldn't, because it was in her bridesmaids' hairstyle. Which looked particularly beautiful.

"Don't talk about me. It's Natalia and Ryan's day. We have to focus on them."

"You're right. But I don't want you to worry me, okay?"

"I'll try. I'll try."

~Ryan's POV~

"Thank you so much for everything!" Natalia was giving last minute hugs to everybody, Calleigh, Alexx, Eric, Dan; basically every human being within range of the wedding. I knew I was in love when I couldn't help feeling jealous that she was hugging Eric, not me. Even when I knew it was just a thank you hug.

"Your limo's going to take you home, and then to the airport in an hour and a half!" Alexx shouted over the noise. I smiled and nodded, then helped Natalia slide in next to me.

"That was absolutely amazing," she said once the door was shut and we were on our way home.

"You look so beautiful, Nat. I thought I could handle it out there tonight, but I really couldn't."

"What do you mean?"

"I told myself not to cry. That I wouldn't break down. But when I saw you walking down the aisle, and on the dance floor, I couldn't keep it together." Tears were welling up in her eyes again. Dammit.

"That's so sweet. I knew I was going to cry. I knew that there was no way to hold back."

"I knew you would cry too. It's completely like you," I laughed. She giggled, and rested her head on my shoulder.

"I'm excited."

"For our honeymoon?" I asked.

"Yes!" You still haven't told me where we're going!"

"You'll find out soon enough. Patience, patience."

"You owe me one for waiting this long."

"I'll give you something when we get there." She smirked.

"You better."

"Come on, let's go." I helped her out of the limo, but I couldn't help but smile. People said that nothing could compare to first falling in love, but as far as I was concerned, it was just going uphill. I knew, knew in my heart, that the hill I was heading up would never end. As long as I was with Natalia, it wasn't going anywhere.

~Natalia's POV~

"Please? Please?"

"If you would just wait for five minutes you'll find out." My new husband and I were walking through the Miami International Airport, looking for the gate. At least he was looking for the gate. I was merely begging him to tell me where we were going.

"Close your eyes." I closed them. He made me sit down, and then let me open.

"The Bahamas?"

"Yup." By the look on his face I knew I was missing something. I realized in a couple of minutes exactly where we were going.

"Atlantis?"

"I knew you would figure it out in a couple of minutes."

"Ryan!" I jumped up and landed in his lap.

"Calm down!"

"You didn't tell me! I can't believe you're taking me to Atlantis!"

"I'm not taking you anywhere. We're going there together."

"That's what I meant. I love you so much, babe." I kissed him.

"I love you, too. There's more once you get there."

"Oh no. Will you tell me now, please?"

"We're swimming with sea lions."

"What?" He laughed.

"I don't know if I should be scared or excited."

"I'm doing it with you."

"Well then I'm excited."

We boarded the plane, and sat together. The flight was short, just barely an hour.

"Welcome to Delta Airlines Flight 1890 with service to Nassau, Bahamas." I blocked out the voice of the flight attendants and rested my cheek on Ryan's shoulder.

"Tired?"

"Hell yeah. I wish it was light outside though. I want to see it when we get there." I glanced out the tiny window, to see nothing but fluorescent lights and dark sky. I felt the plane jolt as we were pushed back, and after that I didn't feel anything. I was asleep for the entire flight.

"Hey, sweetheart, wake up. We've got to get off." I sat up, a little disoriented, but then I remembered where we were.

"I fell asleep, too. But we're here now."

"I am so tired."

"I know, I know." The taxi ride was long, and it took all of the energy I could muster not to just pass out there. Somehow, someway, I made it to the hotel room awake. Which, may I mention, was gorgeous. It was a suite, with plenty of room and a large balcony to relax on. We changed into our pajamas and were asleep within minutes.

The gentle beams of sunlight seeping through the curtains woke me up late that morning. I took in the surroundings, and looked over to see my new husband sleeping soundly. I shook his shoulder to wake him up.

"What time is it?" Ryan asked groggily, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

"9:30."

"Really? That's late!"

"I know." I gave him a good-morning kiss. "But it's our honeymoon. We don't have to get up early." He smiled.

"What do you want to do?"

"Why are you asking me? You're the one who planned it!"

"Fine then. Let's do the slides. We have dinner tonight, but other than that no plans."

"No plans." We were staying in The Cove, one of the four buildings in Atlantis. I could tell as I walked down in the daylight that it was set aside as more of an adult-oriented place. There were a couple of children there, but in the end it was more couples. He took my hand and we slowly ambled down to the pool. There was no rush. We had a week here, and I didn't see any need to walk any faster than we were. I stopped when I could see the slides.

"Babe, there is no way."

"Keep dreaming, Natalia. You're coming with me."

~Ryan's POV~

She looked over the edge, and I watched the expression on her face.

"You're next," I whispered in her ear.

"No no no."

"Yes yes yes. I'll be right behind you, promise."

"You really owe me one for this." Natalia pushed herself off of the top of the slide, and I smiled as I heard the scream I had been anticipating. A couple of other people on top of the slide laughed, and I took my place on top. The ride down was exhilarating, fast, and steep. I realized then why they called the slide, "The Leap of Faith."

"That was so much fun!" Natalia was excited now, as we walked out of the landing pool together.

"See? Aren't you glad you went down?"

"Yes, babe," she said, giggling. Nat dragged me up to all of the slides so many times that I began to wonder when she would ever tire out.

"Let's go to the pool. My back hurts from hitting the water so many times," she _finally_ suggested.

"My back hurts from slamming into the bottom of the slide on that raft one." There were a couple of raft slides that actually had water propelling you back upwards, and I hit my back on one of the jets.

"That's not my fault."

"Shut up. You were in the front."

"Come on, babe." She smiled and took my hand. We walked over to the "adult-only," pool and stepped in. Natalia wrapped her legs around me and put her arms on my shoulders. I put my hands underneath.

"No matter what happens in our lives together, I'm really glad I made myself stay at your house that night."

"I'm really glad that I kissed you that day." She kissed me again, letting her lips linger on mine before pulling off.

"Oh my God. You're killing me, Natalia."

"You have no idea what you're doing to me." The tops of our heads touched and she whispered every word she said. I put my hands behind her head and pulled her in front of me. I let the other people, the water, the noises fade out to focus on my sexy new wife. We made out in the middle of the pool, ignoring the stares and glances from other couples. In a couple of minutes, we stopped and broke away, breathing hot and heavy. I noticed that there were pairs doing the same thing that we were, and she smiled when I looked back at her. I laughed and picked her up again, locking my lips to hers. Natalia tired eventually, and she rested her head on my chest as we swayed in the water. The sun was slowly sinking, and it felt so romantic to be here with my wife, in the beautiful Bahamas.

"Let's go back to the room, babe. We have dinner soon." She stood up on her own and agreed. We walked hand in hand back to our suite, and she fell down on the couch.

"It's tiring, isn't it?" I pointed out.

"Yeah. God, I'm starving."

"Let's get dressed, and then we can head downstairs."

"Which restaurant is it?"

"You'll see." I winked.

"Not again. At least tell me if it's formal or not."

"Not to dressy, but I wouldn't wear jeans or shorts. Or flip flops."

"Okay. Thanks, baby." She gave me a quick kiss and gathered her stuff to change into. Natalia ended up with a casual black dress that she didn't hesitate to look absolutely amazing in.

"Let's go." Dinner was amazing, just like the rest of the Atlantis vacation. The sea lions were a huge hit with Natalia, just like I knew they would be. She was sad to leave, I could tell, but I knew that she would love the last part of our honeymoon. Natalia stopped me at the front of the building. She put her arms around my neck and kissed me.

"Thank you, baby. It was the best vacation I've ever been on."

"It wouldn't matter where we were, because I have the perfect wife with me. And don't thank me."

"I have an amazing new husband to love now. Which reminds me, I still don't know where we're going." We arrived at the airport, and she was starting to get bubbly with anticipation.

"Fiji," I whispered in her ear, waiting for her reaction.

"Really?"

"Yup. It's kind of like a multi-day travel sort of thing though. We fly to Los Angeles, then to New Zealand, and then to Fiji."

"I'm ready for it."

"Me too. It's a long flight."

~Ryan's POV~

She stayed awake on the flight to Miami, and then to Los Angeles. I could see her energy going down as we waited to board the flight to New Zealand.

"You okay?" I asked, stroking the back of her head.

"Tired. What's the time difference between here and Fiji? Or Miami and Fiji, anyway."

"They're 17 hours ahead of us."

"Well, it's 7:30 in Miami, so it's 4:30 here. Which means that in Fiji it's...12:30 in the afternoon tomorrow."

"Don't confuse me," I said. I had no idea what time we were going to get there, or what time zone it was in.

"Oh, forget it. We'll see what it looks like once we get there."

"Now boarding all zones." We took our first class seats to Auckland, New Zealand and made ourselves comfortable. She lifted up the divider between our seats and rested her head on my shoulder. I put my arm around her and rubbed her back gently.

"Mmm…I love you, baby," she mumbled.

"I love you, too." I kissed the top of her hair. "Now sleep," I continued. I knew what she looked like when she became sleep-deprived. The flight was long, exhausting, and genuinely uncomfortable. The time passed so slowly, and I felt like we weren't moving at all. I never thought I would be so excited to feel the wheels rumble as they touched the ground. Natalia woke up at the bumps landing caused.

"Feel better now?"

"Oh yeah," she smiled. "Did I sleep through the entire flight?"

"Yup. But I did too, so don't worry."

"How long is our flight to Fiji from here?"  
>"Only three hours. It's not that long, I promise." I was smiling as I laid a gentle kiss on top of her head.<p>

"I can't wait, babe. You have no idea."

"I told you that this was the more romantic portion of our trip. I'm excited too." She sat on my lap as we waited for our flight in the airport, and we whispered sweet-nothings in each other's ears. It was enjoyable, and I knew that Natalia liked it.

When we touched down in Fiji it was one o'clock in the morning their time. I had no idea what time it was in Miami, and I didn't particularly want to know.

"At least we have time to sleep, and we can do whatever we want tomorrow. Or today. Or…whenever it gets light," Natalia said, confusing herself.

"It's okay, I know what you mean," I laughed. It was nice to hold her hand and feel the tropical air of Fiji, much different then Miami. You could just tell that you weren't home. Not only was there a pleasant breeze blowing, there was also an insanely high level of humidity. I knew it would be hot. Just not this hot.

"Humidity makes my hair curl," Nat said.

"I like it curly."

"I know you do, but I don't."

"It looks good like that. Sexier," I lowered my voice and said in her ear. I could tell she was smiling, even though I couldn't see her.

"I promise you something once we get there, but not now." She leaned her head on my shoulder once we were in the taxi, and seductively whispered it. I rubbed her back and let the cool ocean breeze blowing through the partially open windows relax me. The air felt rejuvenating after the stuffy cabins of the airplanes, even though I still desperately needed to take a shower.

We checked into Matamanoa Island Resort, and Natalia marveled at how beautiful it was. Atlantis was gorgeous too, but this one was pretty in its own separate way. She flopped back on the bed the second we entered the room, and said, "It feels so good to lay down."

"Tell me about it." I rested next to her, and she gently rolled on top of me.

"I love you, babe." Natalia lightly traced her finger down my cheek.

"I love you too." I kissed her lips.

"Shower with me?" she suggested, and I could see the twinkle in her eyes. I didn't even have to respond.

~Natalia's POV~

It was much more romantic than I thought it would be. Ryan never spoke much about the "couples retreat," as I liked to call it, but he certainly outdid himself this time around. He held my hand when we walked down to the beach, or to the pool. He took me snorkeling, and tried to make me scuba dive. I loved to snorkel around the coral and the fish, but I was too scared to dive down. I knew it sounded cliché, but it was definitely island paradise.

"Beach or pool?" I asked, handing Ryan his coffee.

"Beach. We didn't do it much yesterday."

"You read my mind." I smiled and kissed him, before sitting down on the balcony. Ryan was on the chair next to me, and the breeze, along with the sunshine, made for ideal relaxing conditions.

"Take your ring off before we go today. You remember what happened to that one woman we saw." The resort staff had warned us to take off our jewelry, because it was easy for them to slip off in the water. Another couple on their honeymoon apparently didn't listen, because her ring slid off of her finger while they were snorkeling. Everyone helped looked for it, but it was nowhere to be found. I didn't want to think what would happen if I lost my ring. It was amazing, something that I had come to love. If I took it off my finger felt empty, like I was missing some important part of my life. There is no way I would live if I lost it.

"Let's go. Otherwise the sun gets too hot." I didn't have to worry so much about getting burned, but Ryan was much fairer than I was. Even I was a little red, so he really had to watch the sun exposure.

We walked slowly down the path to the beach, with simple white sand and sparkling blue water. I wasn't in the mood for snorkeling at the moment. I just wanted to wade in and breathe easy.

Ryan kissed the top of my head, stroking his hand down my back.

"You are the best thing that's ever happened to me, Natalia."

"Do you know how much it means to me for you to say that?"

"It means the world to me."

"Have you ever heard those songs, where they talk about people making them feel like they've never felt before? Like this one person makes them feel so in love?"

"Yeah, I've heard them."

"You're my one person, Ryan. You give me that feeling every day."

"I know. And you're not so bad yourself."

"I love you. With all my heart."

"I love you." I gave him a sweet, slow kiss, full of passion, heat, and everything in between. He didn't stop and he pulled me back closer when I took a breath. I smiled through the kiss at our relationship. Married, honeymooning on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Never in a million years.

Ryan held me most of the time we were in the water, and I rested on his broad shoulders and muscular chest.

"Babe, I don't think I ever told you this," I started.

"What?"

"When I married Nick-"

"I know it hurts you to talk about him. Don't do that to yourself, Natalia." I couldn't count how many times I had heard those words come out of his mouth.

"I want to say this. When I married him…he wouldn't let us go on a honeymoon. He said it was…stupid, and that it wasn't important." I struggled to remember the details.

"It is important. It's like a time off. We need it."

"That's what I said. He told me to shut up and that it was a pathetic waste of money. He said we didn't deserve a vacation when we didn't do anything in the first place. Or rather, _I_ didn't do anything."

"Natalia, I want you to remember that what he said wasn't true. It still isn't true. You deserve the world. Everything you've done is worth it. Don't let his words affect you, and don't give him what he wants."

"I'm trying, I'm trying. Sometimes those memories…don't go away, no matter how hard I try. Even when I'm totally wrapped up in you…in us, they pop back up at the most random times. Like yesterday, when we were at the bar over there," I was referring to the Tiki Bar type thing that they had beachside and poolside. "The time where Nick took me to a club popped up. That's one of the only good times I can remember."

"Stick to those good times. If you can't wipe him out completely, hang on to the good ones."

"I know. I get what you're saying. It's different with you, Ryan. Even when we fight, or argue, it ends up becoming a good memory, one to cling to. With him…when it was supposed to be a fun, romantic time, it became a mess. A fight. An argue. He left one time. He took my phone and my wallet and left for three days."

"That's when you called me."

"Yeah. I should have divorced him then. I was going to, except I wanted my stuff back." He smiled a little bit.

"I promise you that I'll never run away with your things. Unless you take mine." I smiled.

"I won't, trust me. See this is what I mean, even serious conversations turn into fun-loving moments. I married the right guy this time."

"I married the right girl."

"I love you." I kissed him and lied on his shoulder again, and he rocked slowly back and forth in the gentle waves.

"Don't ever leave me, Ryan."

"I won't. Never would I leave you." He kissed my head.

"I'll stay with you. No matter what happens."

~Ryan's POV~

We made out in the ocean like teenagers again. There were no restrictions, hardly anyone there, and no reason to slow down. I dipped her back slightly, just enough to get her hair wet. I felt her smile through the kiss, and I finally let our mouths part.

"Did you have to stop now?" She had a playful smile on her face.

"I have to save something for later." I winked at her, and Natalia laughed. I ran my hand over the small of her back, right where I knew her small, blue butterfly tattoo was.

"It's getting dark, babe. We need to go back." She took my hand and we walked out of the still water, headed back towards the resort.

"This is our last day. Then we have to go back to work." She looked sad.

"I 'accidentally' told H that we were coming back on Thursday instead of tomorrow. So we have one extra day at home," I smiled.

"We can adjust to the time change."

"True. It's just another day to relax, rest, lay in bed all day…." She looked at me.

"You would do something like that."

"I did."

"I love you." She was barefoot, not wearing her usual high heels. Nat stood up on her toes and gave me a small kiss, just enough to keep my pining for more. But if I teased her, she was bound to tease me. Let's just say that we missed our dinner reservation that night.

By the time we were on the plane heading back to Miami the next morning, Natalia was already dragging. Lack of sleep the previous night had left us both weary, partly in fault of the weak resort coffee. She snuggled into me and used me as her own personal pillow, and fell asleep promptly. I surrendered to sleep shortly after.

She shook my shoulder gently to wake me up after the plane landed. Both of us had napped, talked, and tried to find ways to keep entertained on the dreaded long flight. But we were home. Back to Miami.

"Finally," Natalia said, once we were home. "That was the best experience of my life, but it feels so good to be back."

"I know what you mean." I put my arm around her and kissed her head.

"What day is it?" She looked confused. I realized that I didn't really know either. I logged onto the Internet.

"It's Wednesday. 7:15 P.M.," I said. "We still have tomorrow off."

"Oh thank god." Her voice was muffled as she fell backwards into the bed.

"There is no way you would be able to get up tomorrow morning," I laughed, only to realize that I probably wouldn't either.

"I know. I need to shower," Nat changed the subject, running her fingers through her hair.

"I'll join you." :D

After a shower and some dinner, we were ready to sleep some m ore. As much as we napped on the plane, it was uncomfortable and our sleep was unsatisfying. Natalia crawled into bed, cuddling up beside me like she always did. Ever since the very first day I slept in the same bed with her, the night she almost got kidnapped, she had done the same thing. It was natural now for me to wake up with her in my arms, to the point that I felt empty and incomplete without her there.

Natalia didn't wake up until 10:30 the next morning. I was awake at 9:45, but I didn't physically get out of bed. I just lied there and listened to the soft sound of Nat's breathing, the calming rise and fall of her chest. Her curly hair lightly tickled my face, blowing slightly from the fan on the ceiling. It was peaceful, watching my wife dream. In the midst of it all, I almost fell back asleep again, until her eyes fluttered open. She sat up, yawned, and pushed her hair out of her face.

"How long have you been awake?" Nat asked, stretching her arms.

"Forty-five minutes. And how did you know I was awake?"

"Because you never wake up when I do, unless you were already up to begin with."

I smiled. "You know me too well."

"That's why I married you." She put her soft hands on the sides of my face and gave me a good-morning kiss, quick and gentle like I liked it.

We spent the day, a Thursday, unpacking and washing clothes. Well Natalia washed clothes. I merely ran baskets of laundry back and forth to her.

"Okay, that's the last load." Natalia looked proud of herself, a clear sense of accomplishment.

"Here's your reward." I pushed a Hershey kiss into her mouth, one of her guilty pleasures. Benny jumped and ran around our feet, begging for a piece of the chocolate.

Natalia laughed, and said, "No boy, you can't have one." She picked up our furry dog and kissed his head. I watched her fuss over him and realized that she treated him like a child. I had always known that if the situation presented itself, that she would be an amazing mother. Always known.


	6. Chapter 6

~Natalia's POV~

"SHUT UP!" I yelled at our alarm clock this morning, slapping my hand randomly trying to find the 'snooze' button. Ryan was already awake. As usual. He turned it off for me. But it didn't really make much of a difference because instead _he_ was trying to wake me up. Finally, just so he would stop talking, I threw the covers off and practically ran to get coffee.

"Not a morning person, are you?" he asked, handing me a steaming mug.

"No, not really."

"You still up for our walk? Because if not I'll take him by myself." Usually Ryan and I would take Benny for a walk every morning. But today I was just not willing to go.

"I'm sorry, babe, but I'm too tired today. I might be able to come home during lunch today and take him out. Sorry…"

"It's okay. It really isn't that big of a deal." He kissed me, fast but satisfying, and turned to find Benny. He whistled, and just like that a little white streak came down the stairs and ran into the kitchen island.

"Jeez, Benny." It was fairly comical to watch Ryan try to get the leash on Benny, who was jumping and barking around like the puppy he was. Finally, my new husband just picked up the squirming dog and attached his leash to his collar.

"I'll be back in like five minutes. Try not to fall asleep again." He winked and shut the front door behind him.

Work was slow, only one case to finish up from the day before. Calleigh looked bored with no new guns to test, Alexx had no new DBs to examine, Eric was checking the accuracy of the files every ten seconds, and the rest of the team and I were just wandering around, trying to find something to do.

H called us all in the meeting room. It seemed that a new case had finally come in.

"Since today has proven to be a _very_ slow day, I have given permission for you to take the rest of the day off. However, you need to keep your phone with you all day today, in case another murder comes in. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," we answered.

I was gathering my stuff from my locker when I ran into Calleigh.

"Hey," she said, putting her arms through her jacket.

"Hey. You seem a little happy today." Calleigh was always known to keep a smile on her face, but today she had come off especially bubbly.

"Yeah. It's kind of weird to say…" She looked around to make sure no one else could overhear before continuing.

"You can tell me. Sit down." She sat.

"Okay, so at your wedding, I told Eric that I thought I was pregnant again." Calleigh must have seen the look on my face, because she started to smile.

"He wanted to leave then, but I forced him to stay."

"Are you pregnant?"

"No." She couldn't hold back anymore, and a huge smile broke out on her face. "If I was I would definitely keep the baby, but thank god I'm not."

"Jayden and Landon too much for you?" I teased her.

"They're a handful. Jayden's in kindergarten, and Landon's really starting to crawl around now."

"He's getting so big. I was so surprised at my wedding."

"Oh, I know! But Jayden loves him. He follows her around everywhere. It's the cutest thing."

"I can imagine. I'll have to come see them sometime."

"Whenever you want. I'll see you later, Natalia."

"Bye!" I slid in the car next to Ryan and told him Calleigh's story.

"Eric told me the same thing today, too. From the looks of it they obviously _really_ didn't want another kid."

"They're happy right now. I don't think we've ever had such a quiet day," I changed the subject.

"I can't remember a time when we didn't have any cases at all."

"Me either. I'm surprised H let us off, though."

"I think he was getting a little bored, watching us watch each other." Ryan smiled as he turned into the driveway.

"That's all we were doing anyway. There was _nothing_ to do today."

"Except watch each other."

"Except for that." The minute he turned the key into the lock my phone went off.

"Ms. Boa Vista? I need you and Ryan back in the lab immediately." He looked at me and knew who it was.  
>"We're going back aren't we?" I didn't even have to answer the question before Ryan turned towards the car again.<p>

"Take two," he said, turning the key in the ignition.  
>"Here we go."<p>

~Ryan's POV~

The sun was just above the horizon of the ocean. I watched as it disappeared inch by inch, turning the sky brilliant shades of pinks, oranges, purples, and blues. It was a quiet Friday evening, which Natalia suggested we spend on the beach. The water was chilly; too cold to swim in. Even though the air was warm and the sun beat down hard, winter was just around the corner. In a couple of weeks the beach would be deserted.

Natalia took my hand and moved against my body as walked down the beach. I could tell she was cold, and frankly, so was I. As gorgeous as the weather had been earlier, the nightfall and the ocean breeze made for a chilly combo.

"Alright, I think it's time to head home," she suggested as we reached our towels, now with a thin, almost transparent layer of sand on top of them.

"Sounds good. It's cold out here now."

"Yeah. But I love coming to the beach during the day."

"Me too." I gave her a quick kiss and took her hand. We had walked to the beach earlier, and now had to walk home. Even though it had been almost 5 months since we married, Natalia and I were still in the "newlywed" phase, as Eric and Calleigh liked to call it.

Spending multiple hours at the beach was somewhat exhausting, and by the time we had showered, eaten, walked Benny, and settled down, both of us were drained. As usual, when Natalia got into bed, she fell asleep. It was typical for her to fall asleep quickly, probably within 20 minutes.

I woke up late on Saturday morning next to Natalia, watching the rays of sunshine peeking in from behind the curtains glitter on her hair. I spent the moment just admiring how beautiful my new wife was, and how fortunate I was that I had met her. She opened her eyes, realizing that I was watching her.

"What are you doing?" she asked, smiling and stretching at the same time.

"I was looking at you. You're so beautiful, Natalia."

"Thanks, babe." She sat up and kissed me, stronger than our usual "good morning" kiss.

"Mm, I'm tired." Natalia fell back in bed again, pulling the covers over herself. I knew she wasn't going to fall asleep again, that wasn't like her. So I just stayed sitting up and laughed when Benny jumped on top of her out of nowhere.

"How's that for a wakeup call?" I teased her.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," she directed at Benny, knowing that he wanted his food. After she fed him, she came back over to the kitchen, where I had followed her to.

"I'll show you a wakeup call." Natalia jumped up into my arms, and I barely caught her in time. She put her arms around my shoulders and kissed, with enough passion and heat to wipe out my memory for as long as I wanted to. She broke off to breathe, and as soon as I opened my eyes she was back at it again. Natalia stopped and pulled back to look at me.

"Awake now?"

"I think I'm still a little sleepy. You might need to do it again." I winked at her.

Natalia laughed and brought her lips to mine again, with just as much enthusiasm as before.

After a couple of hours in the morning of doing nothing, kissing, and playing with the dog, I decided that we should go back to the beach again.

"Maybe the water will be warmer this time," Natalia said, and I could tell she really wanted it to be. Natalia was the type of person who loved to be in the ocean, and hated to be in the sand for more than an hour or so.

"It's one o'clock. The water is as warm as it's going to get."

"Let's go then."

She was right; the ocean water was much warmer than it was yesterday. It was still pretty chilly, but we were able to get used to it after a while. When we decided to take a break and sit in the shade for a while, I saw a familiar family out of the corner of my eye. Natalia saw them too.

~Natalia's POV~

"Aunt Natalia!" Little Jayden ran over towards me. I laughed and picked her up. Even though Ryan and I weren't technically related to anyone in the Delko family, neither Calleigh nor Eric had any siblings, so Ryan and I were the replacements.

"She's getting so big!" Jayden was in kindergarten according to Calleigh, and I was shocked at how much she had changed, even since my wedding.

"They grow up fast," Eric said, bouncing little Landon on his lap.

"Man, he's grown since I've last seen him," Ryan remarked, motioning towards Landon.

"He can crawl now. He's tried to walk a couple of times, but no such luck."

"Not yet, anyways," Calleigh commented.

"Soon. So how have you guys been? Work has been pretty hectic; haven't had much time to catch up," Eric asked us.

"Good, good. Enjoying the married life," Ryan put his arm around my shoulder. I still felt the butterflies in my stomach and the adrenaline rush when he touched me or got near me. I knew that I was really in love with him because nothing ever changed. Every day it seemed like I became more and more attracted to him.

"I remember those days," Calleigh said, looking at Eric.

"That seems like so long ago."

"Well, we should probably go. I'll catch up to you later," I waved, and Ryan followed me back to our stuff.

"We should go out tonight." I said, sitting down on the towels next to him.

"What do you mean by 'out'?"

" Like a club. I really feel like…alcohol, and partying. Not that I want to get drunk…I don't know."

"Hell yeah." I was happy that he agreed. For some reason I had a strange feeling that he would say no.

"Which club?"

"The one that's down the street from the beach," he suggested, and I immediately knew which one he was talking about.

"It sounds like a plan." Instead of responding he just stared at me with this look on his face. I recognized the way his eyes focused not on one thing, but seemed to absorb what he was seeing. I realized that he wasn't watching the palm trees sway in the wind, or watching the sand sift up in the breeze, but Ryan was looking at me. Many people had told me that I was pretty, or even beautiful, but no one ever meant it like Ryan. There was a way to his words, something that I had never understood. Watching him smile at absolutely nothing made me realize that he truly thought I was beautiful, and that he was the best thing that I stumbled upon. I couldn't hold the smile or the laugh back, and I reached over to kiss him.

"I love you so much," I mumbled, rolling on top of him.

"I love you, too." He put his steady hands on my back and returned my kiss, and I knew right then that our night at the club was going to be intense.

~Ryan's POV~

*Later that night*

"Curly or straight?"

"How many times have I told you that I love it curly?"

"Just checking." Natalia had asked me so many questions regarding her appearance, and I was beginning to get excited to see her when she was done. Everything that she kept asking about seemed like it would add up to make a gorgeous wife. I knew that she was perfect on the inside no matter what, and I came to that realization on our wedding day. The moment that I saw her looking at me when she floated down the aisle, her long white train flowing behind her, I knew I was marrying the person I wanted to spend my life with. Just for that she was beautiful.

Natalia stepped out of the bathroom where she was fixing her hair, and I couldn't speak for a second. The short, glittering silver mini-dress she was wearing showed off her sexy figure and lengthy legs, and I had no control over what I was feeling at the moment.

"Damn, girl," was all I could muster.

"So you like it?"

"Do I like it? Of course I like it! You look so…damn…"

She laughed and offered me her hand. "Come on. Let's head out."

We walked hand in hand down to the beach and then over to the club, which was alive with lights, earth-shaking music, and the smell of alcohol in the air. She pulled me inside, and I had to admit it definitely lived up to my expectations. It was modern, drinks everywhere I looked. The music was loud, and people were dancing under the influence.

Natalia got a few drinks in her, and so did I. I took her out to the dance floor, and we had so much fun together that night. We weren't drunk, but we weren't exactly sober either. The DJ played "Drop It Low," by Ester Dean and Chris Brown.

"Alright everybody! You ladies out there know how to do it!" he shouted as the chorus came on. _Drop Drop Drop Drop Drop Drop Drop Drop Drop Drop Drop Drop…" _He was right. Natalia definitely knew how to do it. It was tempting and hard to resist, and instead of dancing, our night got kind of steamy. (:

After a couple more hours, around one o'clock in the morning, the alcohol had worn off and we were tired (especially Natalia). She convinced me to carry her home. She was light, and I put her on my back and got her home in no time.

"I'm taking a bath. I feel really gross from the smoke and everything." She said when we got back to our house.

"I'll join you." I turned her around to kiss her in what was meant to be a quick peck, but turned into a full blown make-out session. She broke away for just a few seconds to run the bath. I unzipped her dress in the back and she laughed, and once we were in the bathtub there was no way to describe it. The after effects of alcohol and our unedifying love for each other were just too much, and we took it pretty far.

It was one of the most enjoyable nights ever.


	7. Chapter 7

~Ryan's POV~

"Where have you been all day?" I kissed her lips gently before I let her speak.

"I have a surprise for you," she said, with that spark in her voice that I knew all too well.

"Oh no. What is it?" I held both of her hands and entwined our fingers together.

She smiled. "New York City!" It took me a couple moments to realize. At first I didn't see why she was that excited for NYC.

"On New Year's?"

"Yes! We can go see the ball drop."

"Baby! That's amazing! Thank you!" I picked her up and kissed her.

"Happy anniversary. I love you." There was a smile on her face that I rarely saw, a smile that only showed when she was truly excited. I could only remember seeing it a couple times. At our wedding, and on our honeymoon.

"I love you, too," I whispered in her ear, holding her tight and not letting go.

"Ryan, we've almost been married for a year."

"I know. Our anniversary's in four days."

"The best year of my life." I smiled and kissed her, realizing how much I cared about her. There was nothing on this planet that I wanted more than Natalia.

"We have to pack, babe," she said, pulling her arms away from me.

"When do we leave?"

"Tomorrow. We'll have a couple hours, but then we can go to dinner and Times Square."

"I'm excited. I've never seen the ball drop."

"I know, that's why I thought you would like it."

"I love it." She put a genuine smile on her face and started grabbing clothes out of a drawer.

"When do we fly back?"

"The 2nd."

"And back to work on the third," I rolled my eyes. Christmas was over, and now it was almost time to for 2010. We hadn't been in the lab for what seemed like forever, and no one was looking forward to going back. No one.

"Whatever. Don't even go there."

"I hope it snows."

"So do I. It's been a long time since I've really seen snow."

"Me either. Snow just defines winter. Winter isn't winter unless there's snow."

"It never snows here."

"But you know. Snow falling off the branches of a Christmas tree, kissing under the mistletoe? That all happens with snow."

"Babe, I don't need snow and mistletoe to kiss you," I smiled and pulled my wife close to me. She put her lips to mine, and gave me the kiss that I always looked forward to.

As we packed, I hit something at the bottom of one of our drawers. I stopped when the object revealed itself.

"Nat, what is this?"

"You haven't seen it yet? That's the scrapbook I made; of our wedding."

I smiled, remembering all the moments she had channeled onto paper. Sitting on the bed, I opened the first page. Natalia sat down next to me and smiled too.

"In a couple days we can eat our cake again." I had forgotten about the piece of our cake that was in the freezer. My family had insisted on us following the old tradition, so we went along with it.

"And there's me in my dress."

"I've never seen anything so beautiful." I felt her smiling next to me.

"Aww, and there's our first dance."

"And the cake smashing."

"Man, I really can't believe it's been a year."

"I know. It seems like just yesterday I met you." As we finished looking through the scrapbook and put it away, Natalia sat down on our bed and took a deep breath.

"What?"

"Nothing. I'm just tired. But I'm really excited to go to New York City with you." She flashed the heart-melting smile and walked over to me.

"I'm excited for the kiss I get on New Year's Day," I joked, putting my hands on her back and pushing her closer to me. Natalia put her finger gently on my lips and whispered, "Guess what?"

"What?"

"I am so utterly, desperately, completely in love with you."

"Baby, I love you more than you know." I picked her up and put my face close to hers, living in the romantic moment that fueled me with passion. Tantalizingly slowly, she brought her lips to mine. I fell backwards onto the bed, letting her small body rest on top of mine.

"Ryan…"

"What?" I hated her for breaking our kiss.

"Please help me out of this shirt." I laughed and unbuttoned it, taking my time with each button. She kissed me, and it was enough to stop my world and focus everything I had on her. Natalia slid my shirt over my head and put her hands on my bare chest. She played with my belt, taking her time undoing it. Finally, when I couldn't take it anymore, I took it off myself.

"Hey. What's the fun in that?" My wife sat on top of me, looking at me with a twinkle in her eyes.

"A lot of things." I unzipped her jeans that fit her body oh so perfectly and slid them down to her ankles. She kicked them off and flung them across the room, eager to come back to me. Within the next minute, we were both completely undressed and living the moment. I had never seen Natalia so powerful and fueled with me before. I had my hands everywhere, but I couldn't think straight with Natalia kissing me like she was. Just when I thought I might explode, she stopped, and pulled out a condom from the drawer next to us. Ripping the package open with her teeth, she rolled it on.

"Right now," she whispered. "Do it now." I pushed inside her and we made love for hours, way into the morning. Natalia wore herself out, and fell asleep with her warm, sweaty body right next to mine. I put my arm around her, kissed the top of her head, and fell asleep too. When we woke up, still naked and right next to each other, I smiled, picked up her hand and kissed it gently.

"Good morning handsome husband," she said, sitting up and letting the sheet fall down. I was blown away by the sight of her, flawless and gorgeous even in the morning.

"As much as I would love to continue last night, we have a flight to catch." She kissed me quickly, much to my dismay, and walked over to the bathroom.

"I'm going to take a shower. Can you do me a favor?" Natalia asked.

"Sure. What?"

"Put some clothes on. It's distracting me." She winked, and I laughed. All I could think was, damn.

~Natalia's POV~

It was officially New Year's Eve. Actually, it was New Year's Eve six hours ago. But Ryan and I were a little busy to realize that. Three days. In three days, I would be celebrating a year of marriage to Ryan Wolfe. I didn't know where all the time had gone. The year had passed by in such a blur. It made me wonder what the next twelve months would bring, good or bad.

"You ready?" Ryan asked, pulling our one suitcase out the door.

"Yeah, one sec." I grabbed our tickets from the nightstand and followed him out. We were running a little late, and if we missed our flight there was no way we would make it in time. The air was crisp and cold as we walked outside, even for Miami. Ryan and I were used to the generally warmer temperatures of southern Florida. Traveling to New York City was going to be a big change for the two of us.

In the taxi on the way to the airport, Ryan put his arm around my shoulder and snuggled me next to him. Even to this day I still got butterflies when he did that. I wanted to kiss him so badly, but I resisted seeing how close we were to the taxi driver. But once we stepped into the airport, and it became us two among a sea of people, I did kiss him. I didn't care who saw. I didn't care what other people thought about us. All I wanted was to be with my husband.

"I'm going to get you back for that," he muttered, with a smile on his face.

"For what?" I laughed, not really seeing his point.

"You can't kiss me like that."

"And why is that?"

"Because we're in a public place."

"So?"

"I can't return the favor the way I want to." He winked.

"You can return the favor tonight." And with that he stopped in the middle of the airport, put his hand on my back and with one smooth motion, locked his mouth on mine. I slapped his cheek lightly.

"I want it so badly," he said, as we were waiting at our gate.

"Want what?" I knew what the answer was, but I wanted to hear him say it.

"I want _you_."

"Me? Who would have ever guessed that?"

"Natalia!" Lowering his voice to a whisper, he leaned closer to me and said, "You better have something extravagant planned when we get there, because you definitely owe me for this." I laughed, and as we sat down next to each other on the plane, I put my arms around his neck.

"I love you, Ryan."

"I love you too." We kissed quickly, as it was much more awkward to sit next to people on the plane than strangers in the airport. For three hours I sat next to him, looking into his eyes and realizing how much I loved him over and over again.

When we stepped out of the plane into the airport, I could see the snow falling outside the windows.

"Baby, look, it's snowing," I mentioned, entwining my fingers in his.

"I know. You got your wish." I looked up at him and smiled, and he kissed the top of my head.

"Is that your favorite thing to do?"

"What?"

"Kissing my head."

"No. There are some other things I like a _lot_ better than that." He squeezed my hand and I laughed, remembering last night. "But I do like to do that."

Together we grabbed our suitcase and stepped out into the snowy weather. It was weird, because I hadn't seen it in so long. I looked at Ryan and kissed him in the falling snow, something that I had always wanted to do. He put his hands on my hips and kissed me back, and it killed me to break it off. But we had to get to our resort.

When I opened the door to our room, the first think Ryan did was lie down on the bed. And by instinct, I kicked off my heels and climbed on top of him.

"Now is the time to reward me for waiting through that whole flight."

"Oh I have a reward for you." And I really did.

~Ryan's POV~

"I'll be right back." Much to my dismay, she rolled off of me and disappeared into the closet. I was getting really excited, and I knew that whatever she was about to do would be well worth the wait.

"Close your eyes," she said from the closet.

"Okay."

"You have to keep them closed, or it won't work."

"Okay! Hurry up!" I did what she told me to and kept them closed.

"Open." I saw my wife standing in front of me with the shortest little black dress I had ever seen. One strap fell off of her shoulder, and I was fighting the urge to walk over and slide the whole thing off.

"You like it?" She spun in a circle, and I couldn't help but laugh.

"I don't even know what to say. Natalia, you're so beautiful." I regained consciousness and walked over to where she was. I kissed her with no restraints, and she melted in my arms.

"Nat, I can't wait to take that off, and everything underneath it," I murmured in her ear, picking her up and carrying her back to the king size bed.

"And that's why there's nothing underneath it." She smiled, let her hair down out of the ponytail, and pushed me backwards. She fell on top of me and smashed her lips on mine. I put my hands on her back, holding her as close to me as possible. With her hands, she started to un-tuck my shirttail and unbutton. It was agonizing, feeling her run her fingers up and down my chest after every button. I moaned, and I felt her shudder in response. She wasted no time taking off my belt and unzipping my fly. I helped her and kicked them off; loving the feeling she was giving me.

I trailed my fingers from her hair, down her back and up to her shoulders, where I slipped the silky strap off. I did the same to her other side. The flimsy piece of fabric slid down her body, and I pulled her down on top of me. I trailed kisses down her neck all the way down her perfect torso, and I heard her moan.

"One sec," I mumbled. Reaching for my pants, I pulled a condom out of the pocket and slid it on. She smiled and kissed me again. I nibbled her lip, and she opened her mouth to let me in. I caressed her tongue and let her do whatever she wanted. After three more times, she collapsed in my sweating arms.

"Did I deliver?"

"Natalia, that satisfied me for years to come. Not that we're going to wait that long." Gently, she put her lips to mine for a sweet kiss. She shivered when I touched her back, and I realized something.

"Sweetheart, did I hurt you?"

"Hurt me? Hell no," she smiled, and I let out a sigh of relief. I would've felt terrible if I had done anything to injure Natalia.

"We need to get dressed. Dinner's soon," she mentioned, rolling over to her side of the bed. Right dinner. Couldn't forget about that.

My wife looked beautiful to me no matter what, but I thought she looked mighty fine that evening. It was a dressy restaurant, and the long, black evening gown she wore with accents of crystals was making me relive the nights' events all over again. I wore a tux, and I always felt underdressed next to Natalia.

"Come on," she took my hand and pulled me out of the room. We found ourselves back in it within two hours. Nat wanted to change before we watched the ball drop. We both donned jeans and sweatshirts, along with a coat, gloves, hats, whatever we needed. At 11:30, we headed down in front of the resort. There was a special area near the ball reserved especially for guests. I cradled her close to me as we waited, watching the lights of New York sparkle and light up the sky on their own.

"5, 4, 3, 2, 1!" Fireworks went off, and not just outside. I kissed my sweetheart in Times Square on New Year's Day, and as strange as it sounded, felt like one of the most romantic moments ever. I could tell Natalia loved it. She broke away and turned it into a hug, and I never wanted to let go of her.

"Thank you, baby." I said, rubbing her lower back with my gloved hand. She raised her head off of my chest.

"You're welcome. I really wanted to be here with you."

"I'm glad we came." She smiled. I put my hand underneath her legs and carried her back to our room.

"Happy 2010, Ryan." My wife kissed me one more time before shedding layer upon layer of winter clothing.

"Happy 2010 to you too." When we were both ready to sleep before flying back in the morning, she cuddled up next to me and whispered, "I love you," before pretty much passing out. I didn't have a chance to say it back to her, but she knew how much I cared.


	8. Chapter 8

~Ryan's POV~

Our anniversary had come and gone. We had eaten our cake, which still tasted like it did at the wedding. It was amazing how quickly time had passed in the short year we had been married. I found myself staring into space for no reason pondering over where the time had gone, and why it seemed like I hadn't paid attention at all. I enjoyed every day with Natalia, but I wished that life would just slow down. I needed to stop and breathe. Going to work and really focusing on the case was the perfect getaway.

"Get anything?" Eric made me jump when he came up behind me.

"Maybe. This glass shard has a partial fingerprint. Natalia might be able to pull something off of it, but other than that I haven't found anything."

"Keep looking, Wolfe. You'll figure it out."

"Don't jinx it."

I ended up staying overtime that day, because the complexity of the case had been bothering me all day long. The two leads that we had seemed to be exact opposites of each other, and I couldn't find any connection between them. Eventually Horatio kicked me out of the lab and told me to go home. Even driving back to our house I felt unsatisfied and almost incomplete because I didn't know the answer.

I changed into more casual clothes and watched the news in the master bedroom, hoping that it would get my mind off of the case. I realized on a commercial that I hadn't seen Natalia when I came in, so I figured that she was probably downstairs in the kitchen, eating dinner. She knew that I was staying late, and not to wait for me. I saw her a couple times later that night, playing with Benny and doing little tasks that needed to be completed. Around 10:30, I slipped into bed. I heard Natalia in the bathroom brushing her teeth, so I waited until she came in to turn off the light. She put her feet under the covers and settled down. But something was wrong. Natalia never slept without my arms around her. I had been sharing a bed with her for almost three years, and every night she always snuggled her little body right next to mine.

"Natalia? Are you okay?" I felt her tense up beside me.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I reached over to turn on the light, deeply concerned.

"Baby, come here. What's going on?" I could tell when I looked at her face that she had been crying. Her eyes were red and puffy around the edges, and her face looked wet.

She took a deep breath like she was going to say something important, but didn't.

"I need you to tell me."

"I want to, I really do. But I can't…find the words." Natalia stuttered, and I saw how hard it was for her to talk.

"Yes you can. You've never been the type of person to hold back. I can help you, but you have to let me know how."

"Ryan…"

"What is it? You have to trust me."

"I know. And I do. This isn't about trust, and it's not about you. Not directly."

"Did I do something wrong?"

"No, Ryan. It's not your fault. I…okay…"

"Baby, I'm right here. Just talk to me." I put my hand on top of hers to offer support, and she returned the gesture with a small smile. I could tell it was forced. I watched a small tear slip out of the corner of her eye and run down the side of her cheek. Cradling her head in my hand, I wiped it off with my thumb.

"Tell me. Please. I hate seeing you this way."

"Ryan…I'm pregnant." She broke down and collapsed into my arms.

"Don't cry. That's amazing for us. Sweetheart…." I held her and hugged her, kissed her and comforted her, doing everything I could to stop her tears.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to happen, I don't—" I cut her off and pressed my lips to hers. Natalia relaxed and kissed me back, but she pulled away after a few seconds.

"Don't apologize. This is not a bad thing, and you didn't do anything wrong."

"But we never said anything about a baby. Unplanned…"

"Natalia, we're going to have a child. I never told you this, but when I see the way you act around Benny, I've always thought that you would be a great mother."

"Really?"

"Yes. I know by the way you treat other people, the dog, Calleigh and Eric's kids, that you can do this. I know you can get through this."

"Maybe…" She was still crying, and it made me depressed just to see her as upset as she was. I looked into her eyes and saw that she needed a hug. Just someone to hold her and tell her that everything was going to work out, and that she was going to be okay. I wrapped my arms around her and let her cry into my shoulder.

"Natalia, I want you to know that there is no one else I would rather have carry my child, and there is no one else I would rather raise a child with. You know that."

"I know. And I want to have this baby because it makes you happy."

"Then what's upsetting you?"

"I….I'm scared. I don't think I can do it."

"I know you can. You're stronger than you give yourself credit for. Look at all of the things you've pulled through in your life already. A baby won't stop you. Nothing will stop you."

"I believe you."

"Then will you be happy? Because it's killing me to see you like this."

"I'm sorry…"

"Don't apologize."

"I love you, Ryan." She gave me a kiss and I could feel her smiling through it. I smiled too, knowing that I had done my job in cheering her up.

"I love you, too. Can I ask you a question though?"

"What?" She looked confused, and for a split second I saw panic in her eyes.

"How did you find out?"

"Alexx."

~Alexx's POV~

_*Flashback*_

_"Hey, baby. Are you looking for the unknown pieces on our victim from the church fire? Because I already sent it to trace."_

_ "Not exactly…"_

_ "What do you need?" I asked, cleaning up the morgue as I talked._

_ "It's kind of important…I don't know, but…"_

_ "What is it?" Natalia had my attention now._

_ "Alexx…I think I might be pregnant. I don't know, but I need your help." I had absolutely no idea that Natalia would say what she did, but I knew that there was no time to waste._

_ "Aww, baby, sit down. Tell me why you think this."_

_ "I mean, I think it was that night after we went to the club, and since then…"_

_ "What are you feeling?"_

_ "Ryan tried to give me wine last night and I thought I was going to throw up just smelling it. My back was killing me the other day, and…I'm late."_

_ "Okay, I'm going to get this figured out for you. Did you take any test yet?"_

_ "No…I wanted to, but I…didn't."_

_ "Alright. Take this, and follow the instructions in the box."_

_ Natalia did, and when the final deciding moment came, she hesitated to pick up the strip._

_ "What are you waiting for?"_

_ "Will you look for me?"_

_ I smiled at her. "Of course I will." I picked up the little piece of paper and saw that it was blue, bluer than the Miami ocean right outside the window. _

_ "You're pregnant."_

_ "Shit!" _

_ "Hey…it's not that bad."_

_ "No, it's not that."_

_ "Okay then. You need to go tell Ryan. I'll page him if you want me to."_

_ "No no no! Don't!"_

_ "I won't, I won't!"_

_ "He doesn't even know. I didn't tell him anything." _

_ "Why?"_

_ "Because I didn't want to lead him on. We haven't even mentioned kids yet, and it just seemed…wrong to spring this on him now."_

_ "Well you have to tell him eventually." _

_ "I know…I might tell him tonight..."_

_*End flashback*_

~Ryan's POV~

"You should have told me before," I said. The second the words left my lips I wished I could take them back. Now was not the time to point fingers at Natalia.  
>"I know, but I didn't want you to be…"<p>

"To be what?" I said gently, seeing that she still hadn't stopped crying completely.

"I didn't want you to be mad."

"Why would I be mad? Baby, I could never be mad at you for this." I rubbed my hand up and down her back to comfort her. Natalia didn't respond. I leaned in close to Natalia and kissed her, and to my relief she kissed me back.

"Shh, don't cry. Just think, in nine months, we're going to have a little baby. A new addition to the family."

"I know. Ryan?"

"Hmm?"

"Will you take me to the doctor tomorrow?"

I smiled. "Of course I will."

_*Tomorrow*_

"Natalia?" The nurse called from the door. I put my hand on her lower back as we walked towards the examination room.

"The doctor will be with you in a couple minutes." That was the only time I can remember ever seeing Natalia with a look of sheer terror on her face.

"Breathe, baby. Breathe." I kissed her head and felt her relax. The minutes ticked by. Dr. DeLangio arrived with her test results. Natalia already knew she was pregnant, but the realization really kicked in when the words left the doctor's lips.

"Now I know that this might be a surprise, and I hate to spring all these questions on you. But I have to ask, do you plan to keep this baby?"

"Yes." I knew Natalia was still in shock, but I never doubted that she would keep her child. Throughout the rest of the appointment we went through question after question, test after test. Poor Natalia was being poked and prodded by every needle possible.

"Okay, we're all done for today!" I was almost offended by Dr. DeLangio's enthusiasm. She was nearly sucking the life out of my wife and she was happy about it? I knew that she was just trying to keep the mood light, but it wasn't working. Go figure.

Natalia mustered a smile, and the doctor handed her the new appointment slip. She looked exhausted. I felt bad knowing that she was officially eight weeks pregnant, and I had no idea until yesterday. But I intended to make it up to her somehow.

"You feel okay?" I asked once we were home.

"No…," she almost whimpered. It broke my heart to watch her brown eyes mist over, and I had a hard time trying to find a response. What could I say?

"Natalia, I look at you and I know you're not telling me something." I sat her down on the couch.

She took a deep breath and looked me straight in the eye.

"What was honestly the first thing you thought about when I told you I was pregnant?"

"I was…shocked. But I don't think I've ever been happier."

"Really?"

I didn't understand where she was going with this. "Why wouldn't I be happy?"

"I had a pregnancy scare with Nick, and he thought…" She hesitated. "He thought that I was cheating on him."

I swear my mouth dropped open. "Why?"

"Nick refused to believe that I was pregnant with his child. He demanded full custody of the child and told me….told me….never to come back again."

"Were you really pregnant?"

"No, thank goodness. That's why I asked…because I was afraid that you would act the same way. It's not that I don't trust you, and I know that you would never do that. But I can't help it."She collapsed crying into my arms.

"Natalia, I promise you that I will never hurt you, especially while you're pregnant. I never doubted you."

"I know…and I'm sorry," she choked out, lifting her head up and melting me with her beautiful brown eyes.

"No, baby." I kissed her forehead and hugged her close. Natalia cried more the first week she was pregnant than I had ever seen her cry. I was angry, but I was also dumbfounded by how much Nick had really hurt Natalia. She was emotionally wrecked. Even though I knew she loved me, there would always be one spot that I could never heal, one spot that would forever be torn apart. And that alone was what killed me.


	9. Chapter 9

~Natalia's POV~

"I feel better now that you know."

"I feel better now that you told me."

"Ryan, just to clarify something. It's not that I don't want to have a baby. It's not that I don't want you to be a part of it. The only thing that bothered me was…what he said. And now that you know..I think..I think that I can finally accept this."

Ryan smiled. "That's my girl." I had begun to realize how important this baby was to Ryan. And to me. It was something that we shared, a secret that no one else knew. I knew the time would come, but I put it off and procrastinated for as long as I could. But I knew. I had to tell Horatio, and Calleigh, and the rest of the lab.

"I'm going to tell him today," I told Ryan as we readied ourselves for work.

"Good. You'll be fine, just like Calleigh and Alexx. H will just keep you out of potentially dangerous crime scenes."

"I know. I don't think I'm as nervous as I used to be, but I don't know what he's going to say."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"No…I don't think so."

"Okay. Just tell me how it goes afterwards. Good luck." He kissed me goodbye in the elevator as we went our separate ways, him towards his office and me towards Horatio's office.

"Natalia."

"Horatio, I have some news."

"I'm all ears."

"I'm pregnant." I didn't quite finish the sentence, anxious to hear his reaction.  
>"Congratulations, ma'am." He gave me a hug, and I instantly relaxed to see he was perfectly fine with it.<p>

"As you probably know, you'll be kept mostly in the lab, especially in a couple months."

"Yeah, I figured."

"But in the meantime, I want you to go visit Alexx. She'll give you everything you need."

"Will do."

"Congratulations, Natalia."

"Thanks, H."

Alexx. I knew Alexx would just baby me and do everything for me the minute I walked into the morgue. She was just that kind of person.

"Hey, Alexx."

"Hey. Did you get your guy?"

"Yeah we did. But that's not what I came in here for. H told me to talk to you about the baby."

"Of course he did. I'm going to give you a prescription for prenatal vitamins. Take them every day."

"Okay, I will. Thanks, Alexx. For everything."

"You're welcome. Anytime." She gave me a hug and sent me off, knowing I had to get back to work.

As the day came to a close, I figured the entire lab must have known about the baby. Even Eric knew, and he didn't even work at CSI anymore.

"How'd it go?" Ryan asked once we were back in the privacy of our own home.

"Horatio was fine with it, which is the important thing. But word travels fast in the lab. Even Eric knows."

"Calleigh probably texted him." He put his arm around me for comfort, and I automatically relaxed to his touch.

"Probably. They were all going to find out anyway."

"True. So how do you feel about it now? About having a baby?"

"Honestly, I can't find anything wrong with it. I'm worried that something's going to happen though."

"Worried about what?"

"I'm considered a 'target,' by MDPD. You know I'm technically still at risk for an attack."

"Natalia, I doubt anything else is going to happen. After what we put the other guys through, it seems irrational for someone else to even attempt to hurt you."

"I know. I just don't know how to describe it. Even though everyone keeps telling me the same thing, I can't forget how I felt when they hurt me. I can't do it."

"Shh, babe." He kissed my hair.

"I love you," I mumbled, cuddling into his strong chest.

"I love you too, baby."

~Ryan's POV~

Natalia was officially ten weeks pregnant. Looking at her you couldn't tell, but if you were like me, and lived with her, the symptoms were definitely kicking in.

"Hey, baby." I wrapped my arm around her waist and kissed her neck from behind.

"Hey." She turned around for a kiss.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just tired."  
>"Long day at work?"<p>

"I don't know. I've been exhausted lately, and I can't have coffee to keep me awake."

"It's okay." I gave her a hug and pulled her close to me. She sighed and rested her head on my shoulder.

"Feel better."

"Thanks. I hate being pregnant."

"Don't say that."

"I know I shouldn't, but believe me it's far from enjoyable."

"I can tell. But think in just 30 weeks we'll have a little baby."

"That's a long time."

"It'll go by fast, I guarantee."

"I hope so."

Natalia was grumpy the rest of the night, but it didn't bother me much. Eric had warned me about mood swings. Some days she was happy and herself, but on days like today her mood took huge jumps in the opposite direction. So I left her alone. She was in bed asleep by the time I came upstairs. Quietly, trying not to wake her, I slipped under the covers. Soon I surrendered to sleep and didn't wake up. Until 2:00.

Out of the corner of my eye I could see the sliver of light crawling out from under the door. And then I heard Natalia. Realizing she was throwing up, I got out of bed and opened the bathroom door. She was on the floor holding her hair back, looking miserable.

"Aww...I'm right here." She didn't respond. With my one hand I held back her long curly hair into a ponytail, and with my free hand I rubbed her lower back. I felt terrible for her, and knowing that I couldn't do anything about it made me feel bad. By the time she finished, she looked even worse than she did before. Her eyes looked distant, like she wasn't really there. Her skin was paler than usual, and she was weak. I kissed her head and mumbled, "its okay, baby." Natalia leaned her head into me, and closed her eyes. After a couple seconds, she stood up slowly to brush her teeth. I stood next to her, rubbing her back the whole time.

"Do you feel better?" I asked, looking at her.

"I guess." I could tell she wasn't in much of a talking mood. She crawled back in bed, and before I was next to her she was already asleep.

By morning time Natalia's usual spark was back.

"Good morning," she leaned over to kiss me before I was fully awake.

"So I take it you're feeling better."

"Yeah, I slept it off."

"I'm glad. Come on, we have to get ready." Natalia was much perkier than I was, after being awake for an hour in the middle of the night. But according to the pregnancy books I now found myself reading with her, that wasn't going to last for long.

"Breakfast?" I asked.

"God, no." I was not about to be the one to provoke more "morning sickness." I had come to the realization that morning sickness was not unique to the morning. In fact, it rarely did come in the morning. I needed to have a talk with whoever came up with that term.

~Natalia's POV~

I felt terrible in the morning. Ryan would've made me stay home if I had told him though, so I kept quiet. But as we made our way to work, I realized it was getting harder and harder to fight it.

"Hey," Calleigh said when I ran into her in the break room.

"Hey." She was holding a cup of coffee, and the smell was making me nauseous again.

"You okay?"

"I have to get out of here." I left and sat down in the DNA lab, feeling relieved when my stomach settled down. The familiarity of the DNA lab was comforting, and I knew it wouldn't be long until Calleigh came after me.

"Natalia? What happened?"

"The smell of the coffee was making me nauseous." I smiled.

"Oh, yes. The ever so sudden pregnancy symptoms." I laughed.

"So how's it been?"

"Okay, I guess. A lot of morning sickness though. And the no coffee thing really isn't working for me."

"Oh believe me, I've been through it all too."

"When did it go away?"

"Never."

"What?"

"I'm just kidding, Nat. After about 14 weeks or so."

"Oh my God. Calleigh! I'm only ten weeks!"

"Sorry. Looks like you've got a long road ahead of you," she teased. Calleigh was clearing enjoying this. I, however, was not.

"You're not helping."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. But if you seriously don't feel okay right now, take the day off. I'll cover for you."

"No, I can make it through."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it."

"Alright." Calleigh looked skeptical as she walked out, but I wasn't going to be the one to tell her that I didn't feel okay. In fact, I wanted nothing more than to go home and sleep. But I had work to do.

"Hey, will you run these fingerprints through CODIS for me?" Ryan asked, coming into the DNA lab.

"Yeah, sure. Just give me a minute."

"Woah, what's up?"

"Um, nothing."

"No, I mean what's going on with you?"

"Ryan, I'm just tired. Please," I begged, really not wanting to talk about it.

"Alright, I'm sorry." He kissed my cheek and despite everything I smiled. I couldn't help it.

"Here's your results. Alvin Dajuene. He has quite the track record. Assault, robbery, attempted murder. Good luck with him."

"Thanks, babe. I'll see you around." He walked out, and all I could think was, "it's going to be a long day."


	10. Chapter 10

~Ryan's POV~

"What's going on with Natalia?" Eric asked, walking into the now empty interrogation room.

"I don't know. She said she was just tired, but I know how she is."

"You may want to go check on her."

"I want to, but she gets snappy when I ask her how she feels."

"Ask Calleigh. I saw her talking to Nat earlier today."

"Okay. Thanks, man."

"Anytime. I've been there before," he yelled after me as I pushed open the door of the interrogation room. I was on my way to see Calleigh, but ran into Natalia before.

"Ryan, I'm heading home."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"I just feel nauseous. I'm really sorry, but I can't make it through the rest of the day. I tried though."

"Shh, I know you did." I rubbed my hand up and down her arm. "Just go home and get some rest. I'll be home soon." We kissed quickly, and I aborted my meeting with Calleigh and got back to work.

When I opened the front door of our house, the first thing I saw was Natalia lying on the couch.

I walked over to kiss her, and she looked up at me.

"Do you feel better now?"

"Yeah. I took a nap."

"Why didn't you tell me earlier? The whole lab knew something wasn't right."

"Really? Was it that obvious?"

"Babe, you have a certain personality. And when you're sick you just aren't yourself." She sat up and I took that as a cue to put my arm around her and pull her close.

"I'm sorry. Did I miss anything?"

"It's okay, it's not your fault. And not really. Just the usual, 'he lied, we caught him' kind of case."

"I don't even remember what it was about."

"Really, it's not a big deal. Every so often, you're going to have to take off or leave early. Horatio knows that."

"I guess. But I feel bad leaving."

"Don't. And next time you feel sick, tell me please. Did you feel bad this morning too?" She hesitated before she spoke, and I knew immediately that it was true.

"Natalia."

"I didn't want you to make me stay like I knew you would. That's why I just dealt with it and went to work."

"You couldn't even stand the smell of coffee."

"How did you find out about that?"

"Calleigh told Eric and he told me. But that's irrelevant to this. Just promise me that next time you'll take off work for a while."

"I promise. Can we take a walk? It helps my stomach." She had this look in her eyes, and it was impossible for me to say no.

"Yeah. Come on." I took her hand and walked down the street and onto the beach. We stepped onto the wooden sidewalk that lead us along the shoreline and watched the sun slowly disappear behind the horizon.

"Do you remember this spot?"

She smiled. "Of course I do." Holding out her left hand, she let the diamond catch the diminishing rays of sunlight.

I placed my hands on her hips and rubbed circles with my thumbs.

"If I had asked you two years ago if you had ever thought that we would be right here, right now, what would you say?"

"I never would've thought that I'd be standing here with the most beautiful woman, and never in a million years would I have thought that we'd be having a baby in thirty weeks."

"Before, I couldn't picture myself being a mother, and taking care of a child. I still can't."

"Natalia, you have such a motherly instinct. You'll be amazing." I put my forehead on hers and looked down into her eyes, and saw anticipation and excitement looking back at me. Finally, she had come to accept that she was going to be a parent. We were going to be parents.

"I don't look pregnant, though."

"No, you don't. I saw you in your bikini yesterday and there's no baby bump. Yet." I winked.

She laughed and said, "Well, in another ten weeks or so there will be." Nat put her hands over her flat stomach, and I placed mine gently on top of it.

"Which reminds me, there's a staff beach/pool party tomorrow. Do you want to go?"

"Yeah. But beach/pool?

"It's at the new resort about three miles from here? There's a pool right on the beach."

"I'm in." I laughed and kissed her, and at that moment, a raindrop fell and braised my cheek.

And at that moment, a simple kiss became magical. To feel the rain pour down and soak Natalia's hair, to see it curl up just how I liked it, made my heart melt. To know that even when she was at her worst, throwing up, sleeping, whatever it may be, she could still make me fall head over heels for her, gave me the best feeling I could ever ask for. And that feeling, the one that I had wanted my entire life, was love.

~Natalia's POV~

"Ryan! Stop!" I laughed, trying to bat his hands away. He picked me up off the ground and I wrapped my arms around his neck.

"Put me down!" I bent my head back and he brushed his lips gently over my neck.

"I am not putting you down." He smiled, kissed me, and turned towards the direction of our house. By now our clothes were stuck to our bodies, and the rain was falling out of the sky like a waterfall. We stumbled in the door, soaked and wrapped up in each other's arms.

"I love you," I mumbled, putting my feet on the ground and leaning my body into his.

"I love you, too." I stood on my tip toes to kiss him, and I smiled when I felt his lips connect to mine.

"You are the most beautiful, amazing, _perfect_ woman I have ever met, and I can't wait to have this baby with you."

"Ryan…" I felt the tears well up in my eyes, and I mentally cursed the hormones.

"Don't cry, please. There's nothing to be sad about," he wiped a tear out of the corner of my eye.

"I know. But I'm pregnant and I cry all the time for no reason and I hate it," I rambled.

"Don't worry about it. Yes, I hate seeing you cry, but I love the fact that you're pregnant."

"You're so excited."

"I am." He picked up my hands and held them in his lap. "Aren't you?"

"It's a confusing feeling. I don't really know…exactly what's going on."

"Talk to me."

"Ryan, we're all wet, and it's freezing in here."

"Hold on." He bounced off the couch and flipped the switch for our fireplace, grabbing a blanket on the way back. "Here," he strung the blanket around both of our shoulders and pulled me close.

"Tell me what's bothering you."

"I don't know. It's just stressful, because I have no idea what I'm doing."

"Babe, neither do I."

"But I don't understand why all of this is happening. I don't know why I keep throwing up; I don't know why I can't stay awake during the day. And I don't know how the hell I'm supposed to get through the next seven months, let alone give birth to this baby!"

"Hold on, take a deep breath. We're going to get through this."

"I just….I just don't know what to do." I buried my face in my hands and cried.

"Hey, sweetheart, please don't cry." His voice softened and he hugged me even tighter.

"I'm so scared and confused," I leaned my head into his shoulder.

"I feel the same way. But what exactly are you scared about?"

"I'm scared…that I won't be a good mother. That I'm not going to be able to take care of him or her."

"You will. The only person who knows you better than yourself is me, and I'm telling you that you're more than ready to be a mother."

"I just want to be the mother that I never really had. I grew up with just my father for most of my life, and I don't want this child to go through that."

"This baby will grow up with an amazing mother, and I'll be here right next to you every day and every night. Even when you don't need me, I'll stay right next to you, and do every single thing I can to help you."

I smiled. "Oh my God. You're so amazing, Ryan. Would you seriously stay up with me in the middle of the night, when I have to wake up every two hours to feed the baby?"

"I'll stay up with you right now. You mean the world to me. I'll do everything and anything I can to make sure you and this baby are happy and comfortable. That's all I want."

"Thank you so much." I looked up at him and he wiped the tears off of my face with his thumb, pulling me close and kissing my head.

"I love you more than anything else in the world, and I'll show you that every single day."

"I love you too, baby." I leaned my head up towards Ryan and kissed him, and finally, finally, I felt better. He pressed his lips on my cheek and lingered there for a couple seconds. And right on cue, to ruin the perfectly romantic moment, his phone rang.

"You have got to be kidding me," he mumbled, and pulled it out of his pocket.

"Don't answer it."

"It's my parents. They never call. Hello?" I tried to follow their conversation, but lost track after a couple of words. Instead, I relaxed against Ryan's warm, supportive body and closed my eyes. He absentmindedly stroked my arm, providing a protective feeling like no other.

"What was that about?"

"You know how my dad was in the military, right?"

"Yeah. So?"

"Every year, there's a huge military ball, with dinner, dancing, everything. They want us to go."

"Why didn't we go last year?"

"We were on our honeymoon. But I think we should really try and make it. This is a really important event to them."

"I'll go. It sounds like it'd be a lot of fun."

"To an extent. Listen, I hate to bring this up…..but my parents don't know about this baby yet. It may be a good time to tell them."

"I don't know. My family has no idea either."

"When are you going to tell them?" he asked, just further reminding me of what I was procrastinating.

"Soon." I didn't really want to talk about my family at the moment. "Will your parents be….happy about it? Because if not…I don't want to make a scene."

"Of course they will. They've been begging us for grandchildren for _years_."

"Us?"

"My sister and I. She got married about a year and half before we did, but her and her husband don't want kids right now."

"Okay. As long as there's no problem with it, I don't mind." He smiled and kissed my forehead, and I put my hands on his chest.

"Thanks, Ryan, for listening to me during that ridiculous, hormonal, crying rant."

"Anytime. How about we stay in tonight, watch a movie, have a quick dinner. If you're up for it."

I laughed. "I'm totally in for the movie, but the baby's not taking any food tonight." I patted my stomach and Ryan's face lit up.

"Let's shower first."

"I'll go," I volunteered before he could say anything.

"Take your time, babe." I walked into the bathroom, anxious to re-scent my hair with my shampoo instead of the humid, wet smell of southern Florida. But when I stepped into the shower and let the hot water penetrate the layer of invisible grime, I felt a sudden, all too familiar feeling spread through my body.

~Ryan's POV~

"Ryan? I threw up again."

"Seriously? That's the fourth time today."

She looked at me sarcastically.

"Sorry. What, you know, provoked it?"

"I think it was the smell of the mouthwash or the toothpaste."

"Mint?"

"Maybe. You know how it is. Everything makes me nauseous."

"It's all worth it."

"Yeah, yeah. Let's watch a movie now," she smiled, and I loved how Natalia could still be the perky, fun person I knew even after she threw up.

"Titanic's on TV now. Is that okay?"

"I love this movie." She crawled underneath the covers and laid her head on my chest, where it seemed to fit perfectly. Morning sickness, on top of the already present fatigue from her pregnancy, made her extremely weary by the time night came around. After about half an hour, she was completely knocked out. Careful not to wake her, I gave her a gentle kiss and switched off the TV.


	11. Chapter 11

**_Sorry this chapters a little long, but it's the only way I could think to split it! :) enjoy!_**

"Good morning," she yawned, sitting up as I snuck back into the room.

"Morning, doll." Natalia stood up and sort of stumbled over to where I was to kiss me.

"Here." I handed her a glass of water and the prenatal vitamins she hated, but took every day without fail.

"Thanks. And that reminds me, I have another appointment on Wednesday. Are you coming?"

"Babe, I wouldn't miss it for anything. You know that." It was true. I couldn't imagine missing any appointment to learn about _my_ son or daughter, to see _my_ child wiggling around on the screen.

"Okay," she smiled. "What time is it?"

"6:00; we have to go to work soon. Do you feel okay?"

"Yeah, whatever."

"Natalia, last time you said that you left work early. Tell me honestly, do you feel well enough to go in?"

"Yes. It's weird, I'm usually fine until something I smell or see makes me throw up."

"Listen, if you feel anything I want you to come home and rest. And if you're sick for the party tonight, we'll skip it and stay home."

"Okay. But I think I'll be fine."

I put my hands on her shoulders and gently kneaded them with my fingers. "I just want you and the baby to be happy and healthy. If that means missing work, fine."

"Thanks. Baby's happy right now. Hopefully little Wolfe will stay that way."

"Little Wolfe?" I asked, laughing at the way it sounded.

"I don't know what to call it!"

"Okay, babe." I pulled her head close to my chest, laughing at her reference to our future son or daughter.

"Why don't you go take a shower, and I'll drink my coffee before you can smell it," I suggested, hoping that my plan would work.

"Alright. The bathroom doesn't smell like mint, does it?" she hesitated.

"I don't think so." I held my breath as she walked in, praying that nothing would happen. After a few minutes, I raced to get the coffee brewed and down my throat before Natalia was done. The most common things like mint, coffee, and alcohol made her completely nauseous and miserable for hours, and I hated doing that to her. Not that it was fun for me either.

I heard the water shut off upstairs and I quickly downed a glass of water, washing out the scent of coffee off my breath. The routine from pre-pregnancy to pregnancy had changed drastically, and now that I had to drink coffee when Natalia wasn't around, our shower schedule was different. She went first, and did her hair and makeup when I showered.

"Hurry up, babe," she called from the bathroom.

"I've been ready. I'm just waiting for you."

"I'm coming. You know how I get when I'm tired. A little…slow, I guess."

"I don't care. I love it." I put my hand on the small of her back and pushed her out the door, hoping that we clocked in on time.

Much to my relief, she made it through the work day with no problem at all. And by the party that night, there was still no sign of any nausea returning. The majority of the lab was already present when we arrived, snacking on the catered buffet. Once we got the whole team together, including analysts and the night shift, there were around a hundred and fifty people at the pool and on the beach. The only person absent? Horatio.

"Did he seriously skip out on his own party?" Calleigh asked, coming up from behind me.

"Kyle just got home from Iraq or wherever he was," I said.

"Oh really? How do you know that?"

"We were talking about it at a crime scene and he just mentioned it."

"Nat, did you know?"

"Me? Please, I can't even remember what I'm doing tomorrow, let alone something like that," Natalia answered.

"Calleigh!" Eric called from somewhere out of eyeshot. "Your daughter wants you." Some of the people that worked at the lab had kids, and they were all welcome. Jayden came running around the corner, clinging to her mother's legs with tears running down her face.

"Princesa, what happened?" Calleigh picked her up.

"I was making a sand castle, and, and I fell."

"You fell? Where? Let me see." Calleigh gently kissed her daughter's uninjured knee, even though Jayden insisted it was.

"It's better now, mommy."

"Okay, good. Why don't you go finish building your castle?"

"I did! Come see it!" Calleigh gave us an apologetic look and mouthed "sorry," before taking her daughter's little hand.

"That's going to be us in a couple months." I turned towards Natalia, smiling as I put my arm around her.

"It's only February, babe. I'm due in October."

"I know, but it won't feel like that long. And by the way, it's March." I winked.

"Oh, stop." She punched my arm, and I squeezed her hip right back. Nat turned her head up to look at me, and I kissed her knowing that was what she wanted.

"Do you want anything to eat?"

"Maybe later. I'm not that hungry now."

"Alright. I'm going to go grab something." We separated for the majority of the night, briefly reuniting for a dip in the hot tub.

"Hey, I just saw Natalia. She's so tiny," Eric remarked.

"I know. But she is _definitely_ pregnant."

"Why?" He laughed.

"My God, everything makes her nauseous. I have to drink my coffee in five minutes because she'll throw up if she smells it."

"Sorry, man. I got off pretty easy with Calleigh. She barely had any symptoms."

"I hope it eases up in the next couple weeks, because she can't take much more."

"She'll get better. Don't worry about it."

"We're both praying something changes because neither one of us are sleeping."

"You're awake too?"

"Well, I have to be. Nat's awake at like three and I have to be up with her. And then it takes however long to fall back asleep again, and I said that I would stay awake with her."

Eric rolled his eyes. "If you had known you'd be up for four hours every night, would you have said that?"

"She was upset, hormonal, and you know how it is."

"Yeah, I do."

"I just wanted her to feel better."

"Speaking of her…"

"Hey, babe. Eric; Calleigh's looking for you over there."

"She probably wants me to take the kids. They've been bothering her all day." He walked over towards the pool, leaving Natalia and I alone.

"Ryan, can we go?"

"Yeah, why?"

"It was a long day." I could tell she was dragging, and I knew it was time to head out. She stepped into the passenger seat, and when I got around to the driver's side I saw her resting her head against the window, eyes closed. I was about to open my mouth, but didn't. Natalia hated when I bothered her about how she felt, even though I knew she wouldn't tell me otherwise. Instead, I put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

When we pulled into our garage, I expected her to walk into our house and rest on the bed, like she usually did after work. But she only made it to the door before she bolted.

"Natalia!" I called, even though I knew exactly where she was. I ran up the stairs and poked my head into our bathroom, confirming my thoughts.

"Oh, babe." I got down on the floor with her and wrapped my arms around her waist from behind, laying kisses on the back of her neck. I'm sure she threw up everything she had eaten, which probably wasn't much.

"I'm sorry you have to go through this," I said when she stopped.

"No, I'm sorry _you_ have to go through this."

"Me? You're the one who can't keep anything down."

"Yeah, but you have to sit with me all the time," Natalia pointed out after she brushed her teeth.

"Sweetheart, you know I don't mind at all. I'd rather be with you the entire time than at work or somewhere else."

"Thanks. But you really don't have to."

"Yes, I do. Do you remember our wedding vows? In sickness and in health? Of course I'm going to stay next to you."

She smiled, and I couldn't help but notice how well she masked her discomfort. I knew the _only_ thing she wanted to do was sleep. "Thank you, Ryan. You have no idea how good it feels to have you next to me."

"You're welcome. And you know I'd do it any day. If I'm at work and you're here at home, just call me and I'll be here in five minutes."

She wrapped her arms around me. "I love you, babe." I slipped my hand underneath the fabric of her shirt and ran my hand up and down her back. She let out a soft sigh and I could tell it relaxed her.

"I love you, too." Cautiously, I untangled myself from her arms and let her fall back onto the pillows.

"Go to bed, Nat. You've had a tough day."

"I am so tired," she said, covering her face with her hands. "But I have to get dressed." My exhausted, pregnant wife stood in front of her dresser, looking blank and confused.

"Forget it. Can I just wear one of your shirts to bed?"

"Yeah, go ahead." She slipped out of the dress she still had on from the party and into my shirt, which reached her mid-thigh. I smiled when I saw her stomach, even though it was as flat as ever. If anything, she was skinnier than before she was pregnant.

"I'm going to go take Benny for a walk. I'll be right back." I snuck out quietly through the door, and by the time I returned she was fast asleep. I couldn't stop the grin that broke out on my face as I watched the steady rise and fall of her chest. The only reason she was asleep at 9:45 was because there was a miniscule human being growing inside her body, developing into the perfect mixture between Natalia and I. At eleven weeks, the only people who knew about it were us and the people we worked with. I was ecstatic to share the news with my parents; however, Nat couldn't exactly say the same for hers. It was a relationship obviously better at arms' length, and it was unclear how her Dad and his second wife would react. I could only imagine him being happy, but I knew from experience that sometimes the people we trusted didn't always act expectedly. In some cases, it was the complete opposite. Hopefully, the stars would be on our side, and Natalia would get the family she desperately wanted our child to have. I had no clue what to do if it didn't, and that was what scared me.

~Natalia's POV~

"Ryan, have you seen my phone?" I murmured, searching around our room.

"Yeah, it's in the kitchen." I had a bobby-pin in my mouth, trying to pull up the rest of my hair, find my phone, and strap on my heels. We had exactly seven minutes until we had to leave for the military ball, and I was way behind schedule. Somehow I managed to pull it together, and we made it to the ball reasonably on time. The black tie event required Ryan to wear his tuxedo, something that never failed to make me fall head over heels all over again. I wore the same dress I wore on New Years' Eve, the long flowing one with the crystals on it, and black heels that nobody could see under the dress. He took my hand and we attempted to locate his parents among the vast sea of people.

"Do you see them?" I asked, unable to catch sight.

"No…oh wait, there they are. Come on."

"Hey!" His Mom stood up and gave us hugs, followed by his father.

"Natalia, you look _gorgeous_," she said, throwing her arms around me.

"Thank you! It's so good to see you guys again. Last time was….the wedding?" I asked, smiling as Ryan pulled my chair out for me.

"I think so. How was your honeymoon after that?"

"It was absolutely _amazing_. The weather was perfect…it was more than I could ever ask for."

"Now where did you guys go again?" his father, Rob, asked.

"Well, actually, I didn't know until we got to the airport. Ryan wouldn't tell me." I looked over and saw him laughing.

"Seriously? Well where did you take her?" his Mom begged.

"The Bahamas and Fiji."

"Oh, that must have been phenomenal."

"It was a lot of fun. I'm glad we went."

"So how's life been since then? Anything new?" Rob said. I knew that was the question we had been waiting for. I turned to face my husband and he discreetly nodded.

"Well, in October…we are having a baby," I said, biting my lip and awaiting their reaction.

"No way," his Mom's mouth dropped open, and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Yes, definitely. She's due October 26th," Ryan smiled, and he strung his arm around my chair.

"Oh my God. Did you hear that Rob? We're getting a grandchild!"

"Yes, I heard it. How far along are you?"

"Twelve weeks. I have an appointment…tomorrow I think."

"Congratulations, guys." He stood up and gave us _another_ hug, and I was so relieved at how they took the news. I only hoped my father and my step-mother would react the same way.

"I am so excited for you!" his Mom exclaimed. She hurried over to our side of the table and embraced us both in her arms. Ryan's family was full of people I was so grateful to have in my life, and I couldn't wait to surround my unborn child with. Rob and Cheryl would be the grandparents out of a storybook, spoiling our baby rotten. His sister and his sister's husband would be the doting aunt and uncle that would send the child presents at Christmas, wrapped in fancy bows and paper. Just the thought of letting my in-laws be near our child made me twice as excited to be a mother.

After dinner, which thankfully did not upset my stomach, it was time to move on to the final segment of the military ball.

"Would you like to dance?" Ryan asked, offering me his hand.

"Of course," I smiled. We stepped out onto the floor and he slid one hand on my back and the other remained entwined with my fingers.

"Natalia…you look beautiful tonight," he whispered.

"Thank you. But I have to say, you look pretty fine yourself."

He laughed. "This is the tuxedo I wore at our wedding."

"I know. And every time I look at it I fall even more in love with you." He lowered his head and gave me a quick kiss as we gently swayed back and forth.

"Your parents took it well. I can't wait to give them a grandchild."

"I told you they would."

"My Dad and my stepmom…who knows."

"Natalia," he warned, seeing that I was upset.

"Okay, I'm sorry." I smiled and touched my lips to his.

"We'll work it out at home. Just unwind and relax for now."

"I will. Maybe."

"Maybe? Why? " He sounded concerned.

"Because these heels are killing my feet." Ryan laughed and kissed my forehead. I complied by resting my head on his chest.

"I saw you kick them off under the table."

"Damn," I muttered.

"Why don't we head out for tonight? You can rest your weary feet," he said with a bit of sarcasm.

"Shut up. We have to get up early for the doctor's appointment anyway."

"I know. You're already three months pregnant too…damn."

"Already?"

"It's going by so fast."

"I beg to differ."

He laughed. "It's okay, babe."

"I love you."

"I love you, too." We hugged his parents, his sister, and her husband and left for the night. When we returned to our house, I threw my heels into our closet and changed into pajamas.

"Ryan, will you unzip my dress?"

"Yeah, sure." He pulled the zipper down and let it fall to my feet, but as I tried to walk away he pulled me closer.

"You're beautiful."

"Thank you. But I don't feel beautiful. I feel like a dead fish."

He smirked. "What?"

"Babe, I feel like I've gained ten pounds."

"Nat." He put his hands on my hips.

"I think you've _lost_ ten pounds."

"Why the hell would you think that?" He sat down on the edge of our bed and I sat in his lap, smiling as he wrapped his arms around my waist.

"Because you don't eat anything."

"I can't keep anything down!"

"Yeah, but, you're definitely not gaining any weight."

"It feels like it," I mumbled.

"Hey, even if you were, I'd love you anyways. I still do." He gently bent my head back low enough so he could kiss me.

"I love you, too." Ryan let go of me and I fell back gently onto the pillows.

"Go to bed, sweetheart. You look tired."

"I am making a baby. Of course I'm tired."

He laughed and replied, "okay, okay." He switched off the bed side lamp before sliding into bed next to me. In the couple minutes preceding sleep, I thought about the upcoming doctor's appointment and what would happen. Would our baby have some kind of genetic disease? Was he or she okay? Or was I obsessing over a perfectly healthy baby? I started to worry myself and keep myself awake, but then I felt Ryan's comforting touch and relaxing "it's going to be fine." I let out a deep breath, and on the positive note, let myself sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

~Ryan's POV~

"Ryan, if you make fun of my weight I will kill you," she warned, stepping onto the scale at the doctor's office.

"I won't. But you know, I am a CSI. Our team could figure out that you did it."

"Well, being a CSI, _I _could make it look like an accident." Just to agitate her, I peered over her arm to look at the number. 120 pounds. Tiny.

"Alright, follow me back here to the examination room. Dr. DeLangio will be with you shortly." The nurse practitioner ushered us into a cramped room and promptly left us alone. Natalia sat on the table, dangling her feet over the edge and tapping her fingers on the plastic. I reached my hand out to cover hers, and she smiled.

"You're going to be just fine," I kissed the top of her head. The doorknob turned and Natalia's OB/GYN walked inside.

"Good morning, guys. I have the results from your tests," Dr. DeLangio said, snapping on a pair of plastic gloves.

"Natalia, your blood pressure and urine test came back perfectly normal. Your weight looks a little low, but since you're still very early on I'm not going to worry about it." My wife nodded.

"Why don't you lay back, put your feet up here, and we'll take a look at your baby." While the doctor readied the equipment, Natalia reached her hand out. I took it, and we turned our attention back to Dr. DeLangio.

"Alright, I'm just going to slide this in. It shouldn't hurt, but it may feel a little uncomfortable. This is going to give us a glimpse of your baby, and if we're lucky we can hear the heartbeat." Natalia squeezed my hand tighter when she inserted the probe, and I could tell she didn't like it. But when the little lima bean appeared on the screen, and the gentle sound of the heartbeat created a rhythm in the room, all of our worries faded away.

"There you go. It may be hard to see, but here's the leg, the other leg, there's one arm…" She trailed on and on, and we sat there in amazement looking at the new life growing inside of Natalia. Dr. DeLangio printed out a sonogram and handed it to us.

"So, are there any questions you have? How have the symptoms been?"

"Absolutely terrible," Nat answered.

She laughed. "What's going on?"

"I mean, I just can't keep anything down. I go to bed at nine because I'm so tired, and wake up two or three times during the night throwing up. And on top of that, the most common things, like coffee, alcohol, whatever, also make me nauseous."

"This is not uncommon in most first time pregnancies. And unfortunately, there's really nothing you can do. The best advice I have is to eat things like crackers, water, and ginger ale, and get lots of rest throughout the day. Try to get off your feet and relax for a little bit, and keep food in your stomach all the time."

" Okay. I hope it works, my God."

"They should ease up in the next couple weeks or so."

"Alright. Well, thank you."

"My pleasure. Head out to the reception desk and Jeanine will help you schedule your next appointment, which should be in about four weeks." We followed her directions and scheduled another appointment on March 30, her sixteenth week mark.

After work, Natalia went home and hung the sonogram on the refrigerator. I snuck up behind her and closed my arms around her, making her jump.

"Ryan! God, you scared me." She turned around and fell into my arms, and I held her close to me.

"I can't believe we heard the heartbeat today. That was…unreal."

"I know. I mean there's really a baby. This is really happening." Natalia trailed off, staring into the distance with a look of awe on her face. I brushed my fingers across her cheek and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"It's really happening." She leaned her head into my chest and tightened her grip on my torso. I absentmindedly rubbed her back, and I realized that Natalia and I shared very different perspectives on the new baby. I was excited, a little nervous, but completely ready to take on the challenge of parenthood. However, Nat had some walls up and was very apprehensive about the whole thing, preferring to take a much slower approach. I knew that the reasons those walls were in place had a lot to do with Nick, and I couldn't stand that he did that to her. Natalia was the best woman to ever be in my life, and I _knew_ she would be the mother that every child dreamed of having. But she didn't. It was up to me to help her overcome the boundaries she had, and show her that nothing, _nothing_ could replace the importance and joy of family.

~Natalia's POV~

"Listen, I need to talk to you," Ryan stated, sitting me down on our couch.

"Why? What's going on?"

"I know that this pregnancy thing is hard for you."

"Well yeah, I think it's hard for everyone."

"No, I'm not talking about the physical stuff, the mood swings, the morning sickness. It's the emotional aspect, Natalia."

"What are you talking about?"

He strung his arm around my shoulder before he continued. "I think you know what I'm talking about."

I paused. How was I supposed to respond to that?

"You're amazing, much more than you give yourself credit for. Because what that jerk said wasn't true, and he had no right to say or do any of the things he did to you."

"I don't know anymore, Ryan. I really don't."

"Well I know. And I'm telling you that it was all a lie. You are perfect, and have every single quality that a child would want in a mother. I need you to believe me, but most of all, I need you to believe in yourself."

I just stared at him.

"Natalia, you know that if something's bothering you, you can come to me. I'm here every day, any day if you need to talk."

"I know. Some of these things…don't even make sense. I don't even know what it is about them that's bothering me."

"What things? Please tell me, Nat."

"I don't know! It's all the same. I've told you before…Ryan, you shouldn't be sitting here listening to me complain about this."

"Yes I should. Because I love you, and it kills me to see you upset. So please, please, let me help you."

God, I loved him. "Okay, I'll tell you. It's the same old, same old, though. He just said…that I couldn't do it."

"It's a lie. I have 100% confidence that you can raise a child."

"Thanks. And he also said that I wasn't cut out for it, didn't deserve a child, and shouldn't have the opportunity to experience the joy that a child brings." Ryan slipped his hand underneath my legs to pick me up, and I soon found myself sitting in his lap.

"In the past two years, you've been through a lot. We've been through a lot together. And in that time, I learned a lot about you that I had never known before."

"Like?"

"You're dedicated. You're confident. And usually, nothing and nobody can keep you from doing things your way. Sometimes I can't even convince you. But the only person on this Earth that stops you right in your tracks is Nick. That man does not deserve anything of yours."

"No he doesn't," I whispered, feeling all of the memories rush back to me.

"And I want you to know that I'm going to try to give back everything he took from you, including that one little bit of confidence. Because I know that somewhere in there you can do it, and I know that you know that too. So please, Natalia, for me, believe in yourself. Don't give him what he wants."

I threw my arms around him and collapsed into his warm embrace, realizing at that particular moment how much love I had for Ryan.

"I love you so much. And nobody's going to change how I feel about you, no matter what happens. You're everything to me, Natalia," he whispered low and quietly into my ear, even though there was nobody else in the house.

"I love you too. And I'm sorry that I have issues with this. Don't think that you had anything to do with it, because none of it was your fault. You've done everything right." Which was completely true.

"First of all, you have _nothing_ to be apologizing for. Second of all, I hope I've been doing something right. Because that's what you deserve." He leaned down and kissed me, passionate and full of romance and emotion.

"Thanks, baby. I love you so, so much." I rested my head on his chest.

"I love you too." I didn't want to cry; it made me feel weak and powerless. Every time something was bothering me or upsetting me, Ryan was _always_ there to comfort me and hold me.

Tracing patterns in his shirt, I said "I'm lucky to have someone like you."

"I'm lucky to have the best wife in the world, who just so happens to be pregnant with my child."

"Aww, you're going to make me cry." I felt the tears start to well up.

He laughed. "Shh, don't cry." I smiled back at him through watery eyes and he kissed the top of my head.

"You're beautiful. And don't ever forget it."

"Thank you. Ryan, you've been so supportive through this whole mess with Nick, even from the way beginning. It means…everything to me."

"Anything for you, Nat."

I smiled and kissed his cheek.

"Come on. Let's go upstairs." He carried me up to our bedroom and gently set me down on the bed. He only let go of me for a couple seconds to crawl underneath the covers, and then pulled me right back next to him.

"You're going to be okay." Ryan slipped his hand underneath my shirt and rested it on my stomach.

"As long as I'm with you." He laughed and kissed my lips.

"I love you, Natalia. Every single thing about you."

"I love you too." I snuggled my body next to his and sighed. I began to realize that Nick had almost ruined my chance of having a normal, exciting pregnancy. But there was that small percentage of hope, that I could just forget the asshole and enjoy being pregnant while it lasted. And I finally started to obtain the confidence that, with Ryan by my side, I could overcome my hesitation and really focus on the baby. The baby, who I hoped would never know the torture I went through, and who I hoped would never experience the same thing.


	13. Chapter 13

~Ryan's POV~

"Who the hell is calling us at twelve thirty?" I heard Natalia grumble, switching on the lamp and reaching for her phone.

"Hello? What? Yeah, sure. Definitely. Okay, see you then. Bye."

"Do tell," I prompted.

"Calleigh and Eric. Their alarm went off, and they needed a place to stay for tonight."

"Their alarm? What happened?"

"Carbon monoxide. It could just be a mishap, but until they know for sure, they don't want to go back into the house."

"Yeah, it's fine. They can stay here. Are they coming now?" I asked, yawning in between sentences.

"In ten minutes."

"Nat, do you feel okay? I mean, after earlier…"

"Don't worry about it. I can't deal with that right now."

"Alright," I said, understanding that she was not in the mood to carry out the conversation. She got out of bed and went into the bathroom, pulling her hair up and yawning at her reflection in the mirror.

"Ugh. I look like shit."

"You look beautiful, babe. And trust me; I'm sure they don't look that great either."

"I don't know." I came up behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist, smiling at the image in the mirror. Nat saw it too, and as a grin broke out on her face, she placed her hand on top of mine.

"I can't wait until you actually look pregnant."

"Why?" She pulled her head back to look at me.

"Because I want to be able to feel the baby and see the baby move and everything." Natalia lowered her eyes to look down at her hand, resting on her slim stomach. She opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by the doorbell ringing.

"Hi, come on in. Aww, they're so big!"Nat gushed, taking a sleeping Landon from Calleigh's arms.

"Sorry to call you guys so late, but we needed somewhere to stay."

"Yeah, so what exactly happened?" I asked.

"Our carbon monoxide detector went off. I don't know if it's real, or if it's just a malfunction kind of thing, but I don't want to take a chance. Especially with these two," Calleigh answered, nodding her head towards her kids.

"Oh. Well you're totally welcome to stay here."

"Thanks."

"Daddy, why are we at Aunt Natalia's house?" Jayden asked, rubbing her tired eyes.

Eric smiled and replied, "We're taking a mini vacation."

"Oh. Hi, Uncle Ryan."

"Hey, Jayden." Eric placed her in my arms and I held the young child, surprised at how light she was.

"Go back to sleep, princesa. Hopefully we'll be home in the morning," he said to his daughter.

"Okay, daddy." She closed her eyes and fell asleep on my shoulder. I looked over to Natalia and Calleigh and saw Landon asleep in my wife's arms, and I smiled knowing that we would soon be experiencing that.

"Calleigh, where do you want your kids?" I asked.

"Wherever. Landon will sleep through most noise, and Jayden's pretty good about that. They can just lie on the couch for now."

"There you go." I gently placed the blanket over Calleigh and Eric's daughter. With Landon and Jayden only occupying one end of the couch, Natalia, Eric, Calleigh and I sat on the remaining sections.

"Natalia, how've you been in terms of pregnancy?" Cal questioned. "Last time I really talked to you about it was that coffee incident."

"I've been better. I'm still a little…rocky some days, but, in general everything is going well."

"That's good to hear."

"What about you, Ryan? Finally getting some sleep?" Eric joked.

We all laughed. "You know, it's funny. I would have gotten some sleep tonight, but instead I got a call saying my colleagues were coming over at one in the morning."

"Hey, what can I say? I've been through it all. Twice."

Calleigh slapped his leg. "Oh, stop."

"I'm tired, yeah, but it's harder for her than it is for me, so…" I trailed off, looking at Natalia. I strung my arm around her shoulders and she smiled.

"It is so much harder. You have no idea."

"I remember when I was pregnant with Landon, Eric goes 'I know how much pain you're going through, but it's okay. No worries!' and I remember thinking 'Bullshit. You don't know," Calleigh explained, earning a laugh from all four of us.

"I didn't say that," Eric denied.

"Yes you did! Because I distinctly remember you telling me that when I was in the hospital."

"Whatever you say. I don't remember that." We laughed again, but stopped when Jayden stirred in the covers. She sat up.

"Daddy!"

"What's wrong?" Eric scooped Jayden up into his arms.

"I had a bad dream." He sighed, but comforted his daughter anyways.

"Here, why don't you let her sleep in the guest room?" Natalia suggested. Upon hearing Nat's voice, Jayden stopped and stared curiously at her. She motioned for Eric to set her down, and soon Jayden was sitting on the couch next to my wife. She put her tiny hands on Natalia's stomach and said "Baby?" with a confused tone.

"Yeah, you're going to have a cousin." Nat pulled Jayden into her lap. Jayden's grin widened and she seemed to forget the nightmare that had been upsetting her just moments before.

"Come on, princesa, let's go to bed." Eric and Jayden followed Natalia to our guest room, leaving me sitting on the couch with Calleigh.

"Are you ever going to tell them we're not actually related?" I wondered aloud.

"Maybe when they're older. Right now I'll just let them think what they want."

"Oh. Natalia and I both have siblings, but you guys will still be Uncle Eric and Aunt Calleigh."

She laughed. "Okay. On a more serious note, how is Natalia holding up? She briefly mentioned something about Nick to me the other day, and she seemed really upset."

"Well…" I hesitated a bit, pondering over how to phrase the answer to her question. "There are a couple issues with him that's been bothering her, but she's getting through it."

"Poor girl. At least the baby's growing well and doing fine, though."

"Yeah, the baby's perfect. It's funny, because since she's been pregnant she hasn't worried about the baby much. Obviously she wants it to be healthy, but she's been a little more concerned about herself."

"I don't blame her. I would too, if I was in her situation," Calleigh reasoned.

"It's not a narcissistic kind of thing, but that's the only way Natalia can pull through."

"I understand. Eric and I had a couple of things to work out too when I was pregnant."

"Doesn't everybody?"

"What are you talking about?" Nat asked from around the corner, sitting down next to me.

"You."

"What about me?"

"How beautiful you are." She playfully hit me, but judging by the smile on her face I knew she liked it.

"Aww, thank you." She yawned and fell into my chest.

"How have your kids been?" I asked Calleigh and Eric.

"Good, good. They've been growing really fast, though." Eric stole a loving glance at Calleigh, and she smiled in return.

"Every time I see them they've doubled in size," Natalia commented.

"No kidding. Well, we should probably get some sleep ton-," she was interrupted mid-sentence by Eric's cell phone. He answered the phone and by the look on his face, I knew it wouldn't be good news.

"Triple homicide downtown. Horatio said he needs all hands on deck."

"Hell no," Natalia said, clearly pissed off.

"We'll go quickly." I placed a kiss on her head and she sighed.

"What do we do about our kids?" Calleigh asked.

"I guess we just bring them. We can't leave them here," Eric replied, already heading to the guest room.

"Now where are we going?" Jayden wondered, waking up again.

"We're visiting Uncle Horatio now," Cal responded.

"More? Mommy, why can't we just stay at home?"

"Daddy and I have to work. You and your brother get to come with us today."

Jayden yawned and mumbled an "okay."

"They can sleep in the break room, I guess," Eric suggested. Soon all six of us walked into the break room, tired and a little cranky.

"I apologize that everyone has to come in here at this hour, but this is an urgent situation." Horatio lectured us on the case while Calleigh and Eric made a makeshift "bed" on the couch.

"The night shift has already collected all the evidence, so the next few hours should be spent focusing on DNA and analysis. Remember, the faster you work, the quicker you can go home and sleep." He winked and sent us off.

I shrugged on my lab coat and started examining the evidence, counting down the seconds until the coffee was ready. Very rarely did Horatio call us in at night, but I knew that when he did it had to be important.

"Here's your coffee, baby," Natalia came in and handed me a steaming cup.

"Yes, thank you." She watched me drink it and frowned.

"Sorry. It's okay, hopefully we won't be here that long," I comforted. She walked over and hugged me.

"Once we finish with the DNA, I want you to go home and rest. I'll stay and finish up the rest."

"Ryan-," she started to protest, and I put my finger to her lips to silence her.

"Don't. You're pregnant, and I want you to sleep tonight."

Natalia smiled. "Well, okay. Hurry home afterwards. I don't like sleeping by myself."

I chuckled lightly to myself and watched her walk out. I took her advice and rushed through the processing, anxious to get home to my life. I knew what she said was true; about sleeping alone. We both preferred to be together, wrapped up in each other's arms. I could tell Natalia felt protected. And my first priority was to make her feel as safe as possible, because that was one thing she lacked in her life. I promised I would give her back everything that Nick took, and I had every intention to do so.

~Natalia's POV~

He took my hand as we walked along the beach, holding our shoes and feeling the water swarm around our ankles.

"Ryan? Can I ask you a question?'

"Yeah, anything."

"Tomorrow…"

"Is the doctor's appointment," he finished, urging me on with his eyes.

"Do you want to find out…if it's a boy or girl?" I said it quietly, because I had no idea what his reaction would be.

"Well," he hesitated, "what do you want?"

"Forget about me. I want to hear what you want, because lately it's been all about me."

"Okay. Honestly, I'd like to find out. I want to know if we have to paint walls pink or blue. I want to know if we're going to be buying clothes for a ballerina or a baseball player. I want to know what we're going to name him or her when the baby's born. Don't you?" he lowered his voice, seeing how absorbed he was into the conversation.

"Yes, Ryan. I do." I let out a huge sigh of relief, thanking God that Ryan and I felt the same way about the sex of the baby.

"Dr. DeLangio said that we might be able to find out tomorrow," I said, moving closer to him. I wrapped my arms around his torso and rested my head in his chest.

"I know. But if we can't see tomorrow, we'll be able to at the next appointment."

"I don't want to wait another month."

"Neither do I, but we have to prepare for the worst."

"Wow…it's unbelievable. I just…can't believe that I have a baby girl or a baby boy growing inside of me right now."

"Me either." At 16 weeks, there was barely any sign of a bump. I personally felt like I had gained twenty pounds, but according to the scale I had only gained about two.

Ryan soothingly rubbed my back as we watched the sunset on the beach, and I felt my eyes starting to drift closed. Just like always, he read my mind and we turned towards the house.

When we walked inside, Benny ran around our feet, jumping on our legs and barking excitedly.

"Hey, boy," I said, picking him up off the ground.

"You're going to be a brother," Ryan commented, scratching the dog's head.

"And hopefully tomorrow we'll know if you're going to have a sister or a brother."

"Hey, Ryan?"

"Yeah?" I set the dog down on the ground.

"Do you want more than one child? Well actually, did you even want this child at all?"

"I've always wanted kids, so yes, I really wanted this baby. About the more than one…I don't know. I guess I don't want the first kid to be lonely, but I don't know what it's like."

"I see your point. I guess we'll just have to wait and find out," I replied, putting my hand on his shoulder and kissing his cheek.


	14. Chapter 14

~Ryan's POV~

"Alright, are you ready? Today's a big appointment," Dr. DeLangio put on a pair of rubber gloves as she entered the examination room.

"Yeah, let's do it," Natalia replied.

"So here's what we're going to do: First we're going to do the ultrasound, and we'll use that to find the fluid to perform the amniocentesis. After that we'll take more blood work for the triple/quad. Now are you planning on going back to work after this?"

"No, not today."

"Good, because you'll probably be pretty tired after this. Now, before I do the ultrasound, I have to ask you a question. Do you want to know the sex of the baby?"

Natalia turned her head to look at me and we both said "yes" simultaneously.

"Okay, great." Dr. DeLangio applied the gel and placed the transducer on Nat's stomach, moving it around until the image became clear. I heard my wife take in a sharp breath of air and hold it, gripping my hand tighter. I rubbed circles on the top of her hand, smiling when her eyes met mine. The tension in the air was becoming more and more unbearable.

"Good news guys. It's a girl." Dr. DeLangio smiled at us, and Natalia let out a huge sigh.

"Oh my God," I said, leaning down to kiss her.

"You can have a couple minutes to yourselves before we continue," the doctor said, laughing to herself and slipping out the door.

"I'm so happy I can give you a little girl," Nat said, sitting up and wrapping her arms around my neck.

"I know. Me too." I didn't realize how much the news would impact me. I didn't realize that I would be completely blown away, and I certainly didn't realize how much it would take my breath away.

"We're going to have a daughter," she started, and I met my lips to hers again.

"I can't believe it." I wished the moment would have gone on forever, but Dr. DeLangio came back in the doorway to finish the tests.

"Sorry to break it up, but we have to move on with the amniocentesis." I kissed Natalia's forehead to distract her from the needle as Dr. DeLangio performed the procedure.

"Natalia, feel free to have a glass of wine tonight to ease the cramps that may or may not show up."

"Okay, sounds great. Thank you!"

The minute we walked back into our house and shut the front door, Natalia jumped into my arms.

"A little girl, Ryan. We're going to have a little girl…"

"I know. And she's going to be perfect, just like you." She smiled, and I sat down on the couch with her still in my arms.

"So it looks like we are going to be buying clothes for a ballerina, and painting the walls pink," Natalia started, laughing slightly.

"Hey, that was just a reference. She could turn out to be a total tomboy or something."

"Well, that's when she's older. For now, we can paint the walls pink."

"Okay." I didn't care about the clothes. I didn't care about the wall color. I didn't care about the name, or the birthday, or anything like that. The _only_ think I cared about was Natalia, and the fact that she was carrying my daughter. Our daughter.

~Natalia's POV~

"Wine?" Ryan offered, poking his head in the door.

"Not now." I was a bit uneasy about drinking wine, and since I wasn't cramping, I didn't want to take the risk.

"I am so excited," he remarked, walking over and laying a kiss on my forehead.

"So am I…I want to tell everybody tomorrow."

"Speaking of that…"

"What?"

"Your parents."

"Ryan."

"I'm not saying you have to tell them tonight, but we really need to tell them soon. It's been sixteen weeks already. That's a long time."

I felt my stomach sink as I realized the accuracy of his statement. I owed it to my parents to tell them the news, but it scared me shitless to even think about it.

"Right now. I have to do it now," I said, not letting my mind interfere with my actions.

"It's going to be fine, Natalia. I'll stay here and talk to them too."

"Actually, will you tell them?" I asked hesitantly.

"Of course." He leaned in to give me a quick kiss as the number dialed, simultaneously putting the phone to his ear.

"Hi, Marc, it's Ryan…Is Jen there too?...Okay, both of you guys come on…" The conversation continued, and I didn't know why I was so nervous to hear their reaction. He put it on speakerphone, and I closed my eyes when the words _We're having a baby_ rolled off his tongue.

Silence.

And then, excited voices echoed through the speaker, and Ryan winked at me as if to say _I told you so_.

"I don't know why I thought they would be upset," I started, laying back on the bed and leaning my body into Ryan's.

"You had some things to work out. It's okay." He combed his fingers through my hair, a favorite habit of his.

"Thanks for talking to them."

"Of course," he said, pressing his lips to my cheek. I smiled, and Ryan gently positioned his body on top of mine, making sure that the bed supported most of his weight.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked, kissing my cheek again.

"Nothing."

"No, really. What are you thinking about?" he repeated.

"Do you seriously want to know?" I rolled over a little bit; just enough so that my lips brushed against his.

"Yes, I do."

"I was thinking about that first day. Way back, during the explosion. Everything went so wrong, but you held me and let me fall asleep in your arms. And you made me feel like everything was going to be okay." The smile that appeared on Ryan's face was priceless, the one so genuine and loving that it was impossible not to melt right onto the floor.

"I really love you, Natalia. Every single day I'll hold you. Which brings up something else."

"What?" Before he continued, he laid a gentle hand on top of my stomach, and I met his eyes and saw excitement staring right back at me.

"Do you remember the day you told me you were pregnant?"

"Yeah. How did you know? How did you know that something wasn't right?"

"Because that night…you didn't sleep next to me. You were way on the edge of the bed, and Natalia, you haven't done that in _years._ When the woman I've loved for an insanely long amount of time doesn't sleep wrapped up in my arms, close enough so that I can feel your heart beat, I knew that something was going on. And that something turned out to be a very, very good thing." He pressed his lips down to mine, and he gently laid a hand on the side of my cheek.

"You know that if you something's wrong, you can tell me. I'll always be here for you, and I'll never turn you away."

"I know now." I closed my eyes, and just like I did every night, moved even closer to Ryan and let him rest his hand on my stomach, and let him pull me against his body.

"Don't ever forget it," he murmured, and then I fell asleep. But I realized something that night. I realized that even though there were obstacles in my life, things that were nearly impossible to overcome, I had done it with Ryan by my side.

~Ryan's POV~

Our usual mornings went like this: at 6:00, our alarm would go off. I would go downstairs and make coffee for myself, and let Natalia sleep for ten extra minutes. By the time I got upstairs she would be done showering and getting dressed. Then I would jump in the shower while she did her hair and makeup.

It didn't seem like anything was wrong when she was still asleep as I made my way down the stairs. It wasn't until I came back up fifteen minutes later and saw that she was still in bed.

"Natalia, babe. You've got to get up," I prompted, gently shaking her shoulder. She grumbled into the pillow, but didn't move.

"Nat. Come on."

"I can't."

"Do you feel okay?" I asked, hearing my voice soften.

"No."

"Alright, I'll tell Horatio you can't come in today. Do you need anything?"

"No."

"Listen, call me if you need anything. I love you," I said, kissing the top of her head.

"I love you too," she mumbled back, with barely any energy.

I spent extra time fussing over Natalia, and the second I stepped inside the lab Eric pulled me back out again.

"There's a murder downtown."

"Wow, why don't you let me walk in first?"

"Sorry. But we've got so many cases today. If people could just manage to control themselves for one day, we'd get a break."

"Rough morning?"

"More like a rough night. Landon's got an ear infection, Jayden has the flu, and I don't know what's up with Calleigh."

"Tell me about it. Nat's home sick, but I'm not surprised."

"Why?" Eric asked as we drove towards downtown Miami.

"She doesn't eat anything."

"She's pregnant. She's supposed to eat everything!"

"I know! For the last couple months she was so nauseous, and now she just won't eat. I don't understand."

"Is she really not eating?"

"No, I mean she eats a little bit, but not as much as she used to. And that wasn't a lot."

"Poor Nat. She really has it hard, doesn't she?" he said with sympathy.

"Yeah. But she's doing okay."

"Calleigh kind of gave me a briefing on Nick. It sounds like he really hurt her."

"He did. Even now, things are starting to surface about him…and it's affecting Natalia."

"I feel for her...well anyways, I think I found the murder weapon."

"I believe so. COD is definitely blunt force trauma to the head," Dr. Loman declared from his position on the ground.

I winced a little as I stared at the body on the ground, surround by a pool of blood.

"You take the house, I'll stay outside," I said, directing my words towards Eric. As I scoped out the yard, I started to pick up little details that had previously gone unnoticed. There were spatters of blood forming a path from the garage to the front door. There was a scratch on the window, and a knife resting in the bushes. After a while, I began to realize that this crime wasn't as complicated as it first looked.

"Eric, I've definitely got something," I called out, waiting for him to come back outside.

"What do you have? There's almost nothing inside."

"Blood, prints, possible murder weapon. I think we've got—," I was interrupted by my phone ringing.

"Wolfe."

"Ryan, it's me. Can you come home…please?" A weak voice spoke into the receiver, and I knew instantly who it was.

"Yeah, what's going on?"

"Just come home." I felt my stomach drop and flip with worry, and the fact that she wasn't telling me everything was making it even worse.

"I'll be there in ten minutes…stay put okay?"

"Okay, bye." I hung up and stared at my phone for a couple seconds.

"Just go, man," Eric spoke, realizing what was going on.

"I'll call Horatio on my way back…I hate to leave you, but I really have to go," I replied, already backing away towards my Hummer.

"Don't worry about it. Just go," he repeated.

I went as far over the speed limit I could go, and reached our house in a little under eight minutes.

"Babe? Natalia?" I yelled out as I came in the front door. After a couple more tries, I found her lying in our bed.

I lowered my voice. "Hey, what's going on?" I put my hand on her forehead to push her hair out of her face, but was taken aback by how hot it was.

"Sweetheart, you're burning up."

"I know," she moaned, slowly but surely sitting up.

"Listen, I'm going to call Alexx and see if she can help us."

It only took less than five minutes. That was what I loved about our team. We were always there for each other, through thick and thin, no matter what.

"Baby, what happened?" Alexx gasped, dropping her kit on the floor as she moved towards Natalia.

"I don't know," she replied, exasperated. Alexx practically shoved a thermometer in her mouth, while I stood there on the outside feeling terrible for not being able to help Natalia.

"102 fever…this is worse than I thought. Ryan!" She called my name, and I snapped back to reality. "I'm leaving this thermometer with you. Every hour you need to take her temperature. If it reaches 103°, you need to take her to the ER. Understand? I'll be back soon with some antibiotics. Take care of her, boy," she instructed and promptly walked out.

"You holding up okay?" I asked, sitting down on the bed next to Natalia.

"Ugh, I don't know." I put my arm around her, and she rested her head against my shoulder. However, within seconds, she erupted into a coughing fit.

"Listen, I need to cool you down. I don't want you to have to go to the ER tonight."

"Do something," she winced, her voice barely making a sound.

"Aww…" I lightly kissed her forehead. I only left her alone long enough to grab a couple of cool washcloths from the bathroom. Natalia took off the t-shirt she was wearing and was left with just a tank top. Gently, I placed a washcloth on her forehead and two on her shoulders, hoping that the effort would reduce her fever. Alexx rushed back in within minutes with medicine.

"Take three a day, with food," she directed, handing me the pill bottle.

"Will do. Thanks Alexx, for coming out here."

"Family's family. Feel better, Natalia." And with that she left. I set the bottle of pills down on the nightstand and sat next to my wife.

"You need anything?"

"I don't know if I can hold anything down," she muttered.

"Poor baby." I gently pressed my lips to her hair, rubbing her arm for comfort.

"I'm going to let you rest for a little bit, and I'll come back in an hour for your temperature. Call me if you need anything." Thankfully, her temperature stayed below 103 for the night, but just barely. As morning approached, it began to drop, and by dawn it was a mere 99.5.

"Take the day off, recover a little bit," I warned her, knowing she wanted to come to work.

"I'm coming back tomorrow," she frowned.

The day was uneventful, except for the many questions on the whereabouts of Natalia. I called her once or twice during the day, and it was a relief to know everything was going well.

"Mr. Wolfe," Horatio stopped me in the hallway. "I have recently been informed of Natalia. I know she's going to insist on coming in tomorrow, but I want you to convince her to come in late. I want her to recover as quickly as possible."

"I'll try, but no promises." He laughed and sent me off for more lab work. When I returned home, Natalia was awake and walking around, much to my happiness.

"Feel better?" I asked, wrapping my arms around her waist and kissing her forehead.

"Much better."

"Well in that case…" I bent her backwards and kissed her lips.

"I should get better more often," she said with a smirk.

"We'll see about that."

"How was work?"

"Nothing to remark on."

"Did you catch him?"

I looked at her sarcastically. "Of course we did."

"Sorry, sorry. Hey, do we have any snickers bars?"

"What?"

"Snickers bars."

"Um, no, not that I know of."

"Will you go get me one? Please?" She wrapped her arms around my neck and smiled up at me, and I couldn't say no.

"Fine, but only for the baby."

"Thanks, Ry."

"I'll be back soon," I grumbled, grabbing my car keys on the way out. I returned fifteen minutes later with two snickers bar, only to discover that Natalia no longer had a craving for them. All I could do was laugh and toss them in the pantry. By the time I had returned back upstairs, Nat was fast asleep in our bed. I climbed in next to her and wrapped my arms around her waist, burying my face in her hair. Soon we were both asleep.


	15. Chapter 15

"Natalia," I whispered, "don't get up. Horatio made me promise that you'd come in at noon."

"Okay," she mumbled, rolling over and succumbing to sleep once again. I left for work and arrived to a full days worth of cases, losing track of time as I usually did.

"Ryan, you're needed out in the field," an anonymous voice called from down the hallway. I sighed and grabbed my kit, heading out to downtown Miami with Calleigh. It was nothing new, drug addicts, murder, things we were used to. As we walked, we discussed Natalia, Eric, and the kids. Working at a crime lab was a tough subject to broach with children, especially when they were as young as Jayden and Landon. I hadn't thought far enough ahead about how to tell my daughter about my job. I guess I was going to have to discuss it with Natalia.

When we returned to the lab, it was around 11:45. I was expecting Natalia soon, although I wouldn't put it past her to be late. As we entered through the doors, Calleigh and I ran into Eric on his way out.

"Going out to grab you lunch," he nodded towards Calleigh, answering the unasked question.

"See you soon," she replied. We parted ways; her towards ballistics and me towards the evidence lockers. As I immersed myself in analyzing the evidence, I heard my phone ring.

"Wolfe."

"Ryan, it's Eric. Get down here now!"

"What? Why?"

"Get your ass down here right now!" Eric shouted into the phone. I was half jogging down to the front of the building, but I didn't' know where I was running to.

"What's going on?"

"It' Natalia!" he yelled, and hung up. I started sprinting towards the stairs, taking them two, sometimes three at a time. I burst through the front doors of the lab, looking left and right for my wife. I briefly caught the sight of Eric's lab coat and ran towards it. I stopped to take in the sight. He had his arm around Natalia, bruised, battered, and bleeding. She came towards me as soon as she saw me, and I could feel her sobbing heavily in my arms. I couldn't speak; all I could do was glance up at Eric with a shocked expression on my face.

"It's Nick," he explained, and then I saw Natalia's ex-husband, face down on the ground.

"What the hell?" I asked, gently rubbing my hand down my wife's back. She winced as I touched, her, and I quickly pulled my hand away.

"There's an ambulance on its way. Hang in there, Nat," Eric commented, hanging up his phone.

"Natalia," I started, gingerly pulling her away from my chest. "Tell me what happened." All she could do was cry and fall right back into my arms.

"Shh, alright alright. What hurts? I need to know."

"Everything," she whispered, barely audible. I gasped, and realized the severity of the situation.

"Where's that ambulance? We need it right now!" I yelled, holding onto Natalia.

"That bitch will be fine," a voice muttered from the ground.

"What did you say? Get up," I commanded, yanking Nick to his feet.

"I said she'll be fine."

"And why is that?"

"She's been hurt before, never stopped her."

"You asshole. You just think you know everything, don't you?"

"Get out of here."

"Well let me tell you something you don't know. She's pregnant!" I screamed, towering over Nick. I leaned in closer to his face, about ready to throw a punch. "And I swear to God if anything happened to that baby—"

"Are you about to threaten me?" he provoked. "Because I wouldn't suggest it. The results of my anger seem very clear," Nick circled around Natalia.

"Get away from her," I demanded through gritted teeth.

"You know what makes me mad, don't you sweetie?" He gently touched his finger to her cheek. I started towards him, but he put his hand out. The look on Natalia's face stopped me straight in my tracks. I was unable to move. There only one emotion showing through in her eyes…defenseless.

"Yes, you do know. And you really proved it to me this time." With that, Nick took his hand and slapped Natalia clear across her face, hard enough to make a sound. Almost instantly, I grabbed his wrist and punched him straight on, sending him reeling backwards.

"Ryan, RYAN!" Eric yelled, suddenly appearing out of nowhere and pulling me away. Quickly Eric secured Nick in handcuffs, making sure he was far away from both me and Natalia.

"Natalia," I ran over to her, embracing her in my arms. I couldn't have taken her in soon enough. As soon as I closed my arms around her she fell, weaker than I had ever seen her.

"Baby, the ambulance is here. You're going to be okay." I scooped her up in my arms and let her cry, almost in tears myself as the paramedics took her away. I tried to go in the ambulance with her, I tried to fight everybody. But I knew protocol, I knew what officer down meant. And I knew there was no way I was going to be in that ambulance.

"Get in, we're going to the hospital," Calleigh pushed me into her Hummer. I said nothing, but for once her maniac driving went to use.

"Wolfe, Natalia," she demanded, flashing her badge. The nurse instantly pointed us in the right direction, knowing the situation.

"Go Ryan. Find out what's going on, we'll all be waiting." I looked back at her and nodded as I searched for the right room number. I opened the door to room 339 to see Natalia, asleep in a hospital gown. I had to stop to take in what I saw. It wasn't what I thought, a bruised and injured victim. Instead, it was a peaceful woman, sleeping softly with the beams of sunlight shining through the window.

"Nat," I whispered, crouching down eye level. She didn't reply at first, but after a couple seconds her eyes slowly opened.

"Ryan." She smiled, and outstretched her hand. I took it and entwined my fingers with hers.

"I'm so glad you're okay," I expressed, letting out a deep sigh of relief and burying my face in her hair.

"I'm okay now. Everything's alright."

I kissed her, releasing all of the emotions that were pent up inside of me. "Thank God," I muttered, and kissed her again.

"Lay with me." Natalia moved over to the side of the bed.

"I will, I have to go talk to the doctor first. I'll be quick, I promise." I gently pressed my lips to her hand and walked out, in search of a doctor.

"Mr. Wolfe," somebody called from behind me.

"Yes?"

"In regards to Natalia, she's—"

"The baby, tell me about the baby," I begged, praying for good news.

"Healthy. Natalia and the baby are perfect. Lucky, but still healthy."

"Oh thank God, this is a miracle."

"It is. I need you to talk Natalia through this, help her emotionally heal. It's going to take time, and lots of it."

"I know, we've worked through things before. Thank you so much." He may not have been finished, but I was. Natalia was waiting.

"How's the baby?" she asked the second I opened the door, her face white.

"Fine. You're both okay." Natalia broke down as the words left my lips, crying tears of happiness, but more of relief.

" I know baby, I know." I climbed into the bed next to her and wrapped my arms around her, letting her cry into my shoulder. After many long minutes her tears subsided, and we laid there in silence.

"Ryan, I know we need to talk about this. But not today, please not today," she begged, with an edge in her voice.

"Of course not."

"I love you so much." She pressed her lips to my cheek.

"I love you, too." Gently I kissed her, being as careful as I could not to hurt her.

"Where's everybody else?"

"Outside, waiting."

"Go get them. I want to see them."

"Are you sure you're up for it?"

"Yeah, just go." I returned with Calleigh, Eric, and Horatio. Natalia's face lit up when she saw them, and Calleigh immediately embraced her.

"How you holding up?" she asked, comfortingly rubbing her shoulder.

"Better than expected."

"You're strong, Natalia. You'll get through it," Eric contributed.

"I think you know what this means," Horatio started. "I want you and Ryan off work for a week. No complaints, no arguments. Understood?" We nodded. "Then it's settled." Just then, a familiar face burst through the door.

"Baby, what are you doing? I thought we agreed to keep you out of here?" Alexx exclaimed, running over to Natalia.

"Well, this wasn't really part of the plan," my wife laughed.

"I'm so glad you're alright…Horatio, you need to keep your team together," Alexx said, creating laughter in the room. "And as for you," she pointed to me. "You need to take care of her better than you ever have before, understand me?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Good, that's my Ryan." She winked at me. "Now everybody out, she needs to rest." Alexx shooed everyone out of the room before leaving herself. Soon it was just back to me and my wife.

" Did you hear that? You have to take care of me all week long," Natalia smiled, and I slipped back into the bed next to her.

"As if I don't already." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, thinking in silence.

"We need a vacation."

"I know we do."

"Before the baby comes."

"Before the baby," I repeated, unable to mask the smile on my face.

"What are you smiling at?" Natalia asked, catching me.

"I was thinking about the baby. That beautiful little baby we have." I placed my hand on top of the sheet covering her stomach.

"I was thinking long and hard about this baby the other night."

"And?"

"I don't know, something clicked. I realized…I don't know, I guess I just discovered how important she is to us. It's like all of a sudden there's something so big in our lives that we didn't even realize it."

"I love you two so much, there's no way to describe it."

" And I love you back. But that's not my point. We're going to be parents, Ryan. Do you realize how big of a step that is?"

"I want to say yes, but realistically I probably don't. We'll figure it out soon enough. We're going to have to."

"Eric, he's around back. GET DOWN, GET DOWN!" I yelled, throwing my bodyweight on top of the sprinting suspect. It was the first time somebody had ever escaped from under me. There was nothing else to do but chase after him. Again, Eric and I bolted, only stopping after we had him safely secured in handcuffs.

"You okay, Wolfe?" Eric asked, smiling as he patted my shoulder.

"That's the worst chase I've ever been on," I replied. We watched with smirks on our faces as the stoned suspect was shoved into a patrol car.

"He really got you good, huh?"

"Yeah. Really good," I said with sarcasm.

"Don't worry. I'll never question your strength again, especially after what you did to Nick."

"Well, that was out of rage."

"It's alright, I'm impressed," Eric smiled. "Speaking of that, is Natalia holding up okay?"

"She's better. Honestly, I think we're both more relieved that he's in jail for a while. It's a lot of stress, with the baby and all, and it's just better this way."

"Tell me about it," he said as we walked into the lab.

"Ready to interrogate this guy?" I changed the subject.

"Ahh, here we go."

"Mr. Rodriguez, what are you hiding?"

"I ain't hiding nothing."

"Really? Then why'd you run?"

"Got scared."

"Why?"

"Thought you were gonna come after me again."

"Again?"

"Some of your police guys came after me last year, and they had the wrong guy. Didn't want it to happen again."

I sighed and tried a different approach. "Do you know this man?"

"Yeah, that's my brother." We suddenly had his attention.

"Do you know where he is?"

"He used to live in the Bahamas. Why? What's going on?"

"He's involved in a major drug war, possibly in a murder. We need you to write down every single thing you know about him." The attitude of our suspect had drastically changed since he realized his brother was in danger. Quickly we submitted all the information to Horatio, waiting for our next orders.

"Thank you, gentlemen. Go home."

"But it's-."

"I don't want to hear it. Go home." Eric and I exchanged confused glances but headed to the lockers, slightly excited to leave early.

"What was that about?" I asked.

"I don't know, maybe he heard about your little mess-up this morning?" He smiled.

I punched his arm. "Whatever, Delko."

"Just saying."

When I walked into the house, I was surprised to see Natalia home too.

"Hey. What are you doing here?" She abandoned the laundry she was folding and planted a kiss on my lips.

"Horatio sent me home early. What are you doing here?"

"He sent me home too. What's going on?"

"You're asking the wrong person."

"Huh. That's weird."

"I guess we can ask him about it at work tomorrow."

The next morning Eric and I realized that all four of us, him, Calleigh, Natalia, and I were all sent home early. Yet nobody had the courage to question Horatio's motives.

"In the meeting room, please." H ushered us in and closed the door.

"It appears our suspect has left the country."

"What? To where?" Calleigh asked immediately.

"The Bahamas."

"That's where his brother is," I said.

"I know. And that's where we're all going to be."

There was a silence in the room, until we realized what he was saying.

"We're going to the Bahamas?"

"Yes. I need all four of you packed and ready to leave for a week tomorrow morning. Calleigh, Eric, bring the kids with you. Tickets and accommodations have been arranged and pre-paid." The second we started to object, he held out his hand. "None of that. Be at the airport at 6:30 tomorrow. You have the day off to pack." And with that he put on his sunglasses and left the room.

The four of us stood there in shock and silence for god knows how long. Finally Natalia said, "Well, I guess we need to go pack." All at once smiles broke out on our face, and we left the building in happiness.

**_Alright guys, that's the final chapter for this story!_**

**_Just kidding, I wouldn't do that. There's a lot of unfinished business going on right now. But I will have a sequel up shortly; i just thought this story was getting a bit long. _**

**_xoxo_**


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